Beyond Dawn
by origami-doll
Summary: Just when Hitomi thought her life was back on track, the one man she swore never to think of again, comes back to haunt her. Chapter 9 is up.
1. Chapter 1

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It was all so quiet. Despite the severity of the situation, despite even common sense, which in cases such as these justifiably allows panic to reign free, everything was oddly quiet and... peaceful even.

There were no screams, no grieving complaints, no masses of people desperately trying to escape their impending doom... no nothing.

For the trained eye however, it was not hard to perceive there was indeed something abnormal in the air; after all, the cheerful tumult of life, usually echoing through the cobblestone streets, was unusually replaced that morning by the heavy sounds of metals clinging and clashing together and the occasional stern, commanding voice above it all.

Other than that it almost seemed like another typical day in the country's busy capital city... It almost seemed like Fanelia wasn't getting ready for war at all!

The main square of the capital was in a flurry of activity. The ground troops, dressed in the country's traditional red and gold colours, were scattered all over the place, preparing their weapons and awaiting final instructions, while the last of the melefs, numbered in dozens, were already making their way down the square toward the city gates; their giant steps causing the ground to constantly tremble under ones feet.

In the air, hovering above all the commotion, two giant aircrafts fought the roaring winds in an always vigilant state; they were the first line of defence against the darkening red horizon.

Akeno Takeshi, one of the most respected generals of the Fanelian army and member of the royal council, was given charge of the renowned 1st and 2nd companies of the alpha battalion, an elite group of melef soldiers highly respected, and even feared, all throughout Gaea; as it was fairly known that the king of Fanelia himself had personally trained every single one of them in the arts of melef combat.

The experienced general stood in the middle of the square surrounded by his most trusted captains. "I want you to hold fire until you see the enemy's face." He told them firmly. "We don't know what technology they are using, but we do know it's powerful and deadly. Not even Zaibach was able to stand against it."

One of the captains grimaced visibly at his comment. "Let them be the ones to shoot first." The general persisted. "It will give us an idea of their positions." And then staring straight at the wavering soldier in front of him, he shouted loud to them all. "The king is counting on you men. Don't disappoint him! For Fanelia!"

"For Fanelia!" They all shouted back in unison, and than quickly dismissed to their respective companies, conveying the new orders to the rest of their comrades.

Alone for the first time that morning, Takeshi was finally able to look around him and better evaluate the state of the preparations for the upcoming battle. It was the greatest, largest army force ever to be assembled by his country... and probably the most important one to date.

No war had been more crucial to them all, than the one they were about to partake in. Never did the future of Gaea depend so much on the outcome of the next battles and neither did it ever depend so much on the value and tenacity of the Fanelian army itself.

Too many times in the past, they weren't able to help their allies. After all, for centuries they were considered a poor backwards country of farmers, too powerless against other nations when it came to the battlefield. But not this time! In this wretched war the whole of Fanelia would let the enemy know, they too had one or two things to say.

As Takeshi's fierce eyes roamed the square, he was quick to spot an obviously displaced lanky figure among the crowd of bulky soldiers, making his way toward him with visible effort and trying very hard not to be stepped on by any of the moving melefs.

He looked rather surprised as he addressed the unexpected visitor. "Counsellor Johan? What are you still doing here? Why haven't you evacuated with the others to the mountains?"

"I-I will shortly." The counsellor in question answered, a little overwhelmed. He was a man of peace and diplomacy after all, not of war and brut force; being around such a display of armed weapons always made him feel extremely uncomfortable. "The castle hasn't been completely evacuated yet." He continued hastily. "I have a message from our allies. Zaibach has despatched their remaining war ships to Fanelia at dawn. They are heading this way as we speak."

The general nodded. "Good! We can use their help. The Zaibachs have fought them before, they are bound to hav-"

There was a loud agitation to their side and they both turned their heads, just in time to see some of the soldiers giving way to a young man, mounted in a tired mare that suddenly emerged through the sea of metal. He halted his ride right beside Takeshi and dismounted.

Panting heavily, he immediately kneeled in front of his commanding officer. "General, I bring urgent news from the front."

"Well, spit it out!" The older man said impatiently. "Have the Asturians been able to hold them back?"

The young man's already wan face became even paler and he gulped before answering. "The enemy forces attacked before dawn...While everyone was resting. They used some sort of weapon… It all happened too quickly." He shook his head gravely. "The Asturians had no chance, sir. They're all…" He paused and let the silence speak for itself; the memories obviously still painfully fresh. "Fanelia's 6th and 7th companies refused to abandon the few Asturian survivors…" He added with visible pride. "Th-Their captains said they will hold the enemy down for as long as they can…"

The general's expression was unreadable. He bore the soldier's report with the characteristic cold demeanour he was famous for; though his eyes did widen for a fraction of a second out of surprise. He never once thought the Asturian army would be overcome so easily.

"Very well." He finally spoke up. "There's nothing we can do for them now. Let's hope their sacrifice will not be in vain." The young man looked startled at his general for a moment. "Go join your company soldier. We depart shortly. You'll be able to avenge their deaths soon."

A wave of confidence must have emerged from somewhere inside the young man's body for he stood up immediately to leave; a raging fire in his eyes and determination in his walk. The enemy had just given him one more reason to fight in this war.

Takeshi turned gravely to Johan as soon as they were left alone. "Where is his highness?"

"He went to the gravesite." The counsellor answered simply.

The general nodded in understanding. "Then as I feared, it cannot be stopped." He looked at the gloomy sky above them. "The Dragon will go to war once again."

* * *

Van Slanzar de Fanel stood in front of Escaflowne's altar holding a bloody dagger in his bloodied hand as the last waves of pink light subsided and the once dead piece of machinery, sprouted back to life once again.

"I'm sorry, brother." He said to no one in particular. "I was not able to fulfil my promise to you. The greedy hearts of men have once again plunged Gaea into war."

"It's not your fault!" The sound of a crystalline voice startled him. He'd thought for sure he was alone in the clearing.

Van recognized it instantly nonetheless and turned in its direction. "What are you still doing here?" He asked astonished.

The young woman in front of him blushed heavily at his remark. "I stayed behind. I... I wanted to say goodbye... properly." She looked at him distraught. "You shouldn't think it's your fault."

Smiling as best as his current mood would allow him, he calmly made his way toward her. "Maybe it's not _all_ my fault, but I knew King Ulrich's character a lot better than most men. I knew this was what he wanted... To shatter the peace alliance, to make us all fight against each other again... If only I had exposed his true intentions earlier..."

Van sighed heavily. "I really don't like to see you worrying so much." He said as he took a better hold of her concerned expression.

She sheepishly tried to avoid his gaze. "I'm not worried." She said quietly.

What a terrible liar she was! How her shaky voice betrayed her!

And yet, despite the desperate situation they found themselves in and her devastating sadness, she still managed to glow. _That_ was probably what amazed him more about her and also what had immediately been transparent from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her, some years before.

No matter how dark and gloomy the situation might be; how desperate anyone felt around her, her beauty and childlike innocence was enough to brighten and ease even the more disturbed of hearts.

He lifted his arm to caress her cheek, but she gasped horrified. "You're hand…It's bleeding!"

Van looked straight at the hand holding the small dagger. The wound wasn't deep. After all, he had only needed a few drops of his blood to complete the pact with his melef. He and Escaflowne were now bound; flesh and metal destined to fight as one; as it was always intended to be in the first place. The destiny he could not escape from.

"It's nothing." He tried reassuring her, but she had already taken his wounded hand in her delicate ones and was busy wrapping her blue hair sash around it.

"Nonsense, it might infect. Even the smallest wounds can become dangerous. You have to be careful with yourself at all times...You have too...You have..." Her voice started to brake then, and she squeezed his hand tightly; a light stain of red already coming through the thin fabric of the sash.

It was then Van noticed the other spots damping the cloth. "Are you crying?" He asked surprised.

She shook her head. "No…Yes!" She let go of his hand to cover her face. "I know I'm supposed to be strong. It is what everyone expects of me, I know! And I try to be. I _swear_ I try to be strong, but I keep seeing you in my mind, being injured in the battlefield or taken prisoner or being kil…" Her violent sob stopped her from finishing phrasing her most dreaded fear. "…and all because… all because of my own father."

"Isabella!" He quickly closed the distance between them, imprisoning her in a tight embrace; letting her fresh tears damp his clothes.

"Do you know how much I love you, Van?... If something were to happen…" She clutched the front of his jacket more fiercely; fighting against her dark thoughts. "Please, please promise you'll come back to me safe and sound."

Van looked straight at the horizon; at the hell that was expectantly waiting to claim his life and the lives of his men. "You have my word, I'll do my best." He wiped the last traces of tears from her eyes with his good hand and slowly leaned down to kiss her passionately. "I _will_ come back to you." He whispered confidently against her lips.

Their last peaceful moment together was abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." Johan said with a respectful bow. "But the ship is ready to take the last of the evacuees to the mountains, and also... general Takeshi is awaiting your orders, sir... I believe everyone is ready."

Van felt Isabella suddenly shiver in his arms, yet he forced himself to put some distance between them, albeit reluctantly.

"Johan," He eyed his advisor with resolution. "I'm entrusting my wife's safety to you."

"Of course, sir." The old advisor straightened himself immediately, nodding in reassurance. "I'll guard the queen's life with my own." He then turned to her and added with a gentler voice. "This way please, your highness."

Van placed Isabella's hand on top of Johan's and the advisor led his queen quietly away from the clearing toward safety. No more words were exchanged between them. There were none more needed.

* * *

As Van led his troops to the battlefield inside Escaflowne's cockpit, he could still smell his wife's sweet scent. The blue sash wrapped in his hand was embedded with her perfume.

* * *

Hope you like the new story. I had the idea to write it after I wrote 'A Moment in Time'. This is a continuation of that one-shot actually, although the people who read it are probably thinking right now _"What the hell?? This doesn't make any sense!" _lol Trust me, it will make a lot of sense in the next few chapters. The big question now is: Is this still a VH fanfic?... Well, keep reading!

If you haven't read 'A Moment in Time' it's ok. I'm writing this story so it can stand on its own and I'm going to write a little back-story in future chapters anyway, so you don't have to go read the other one. Also, this one will most definitely not be as lame and cheesy as the one-shot (at least from now on) lol


	2. Chapter 2

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

24-year-old Hitomi Kanzaki woke up startled from yet another bizarre dream. This time it had been so vivid and detailed it took her awhile to recognize her surroundings and to realize that she was in fact still in the security of her home and not in the middle of a raging battlefield amid chaos and destruction.

Fighting against the drowsiness that desperately longed to claim her comfy pillows once again, she threw the bed covers away and got up swiftly, making her way toward the kitchen and flipping every light switch on along the way.

Once there, she helped herself to a cup of strong coffee and allowing a tired sigh to escape her lips, she leaned back against the marble counter, holding the smoky cup in her hands.

It had been the sixth time that week she dreamt about Gaea... Or had it been the seventh? She couldn't keep track anymore. All she knew was that the dreams were getting more and more vivid and as a result she was getting more and more tired.

Of course dreaming about Gaea itself wasn't exactly the problem. After all, for the past nine years she often revisited the alien planet in her sleeping subconscious; although the frequency of these mental excursions had thankfully subsided in recent years.

Usually the dreams were pretty uneventful; mere short glimpses into the everyday lives of her old friends... Well, _some_ of her old friends, at least. And not as vivid images at all; they were completely static, like old blurry photographs, which made her often wonder if the alien dreams weren't all just a product of her wishful thinking.

The real problem however, the one depriving her of much needed sleep, was in fact the dark, bloody turn that her once light-hearted dreams had suddenly taken in the past month and a half. From the moment the strange nightmares claimed her, to the moment she awoke surprised and alarmed, she saw nothing more than havoc and death.

And there were no more static images to be seen; this time it all seemed very real, like she was inside a war movie, so much so that she could actually smell the coppery scent of fresh blood.

At first Hitomi thought little of the nightmares. She had just been transferred to the emergency unit of Tokyo Medical University Hospital, where she had to deal with some pretty gory cases, so she assumed her mind was simply playing tricks on her while it adapted itself to her new work reality.

But the intensity of the bad dreams only increased, and as they became more vivid she started recognizing familiar places and long forgotten faces and an dreadful ominous feeling began to creep into her heart.

It was around the time Hitomi had finally convinced herself that her nightmares were much more than simple mind tricks, that for the first time in five years she dreamt about _him_.

The shock of 'seeing' after so long the man she once swore never to think of again was almost enough to jerk her violently awake, but a part of her subconscious curiously clung to sleep with such a force that she had no other choice but to witness firsthand the event that was taking place in the deserted clearing projected in her mind.

She saw him flinch slightly as he squeezed a small dagger in his left hand, and soon enough small drops of blood were being claimed by gravity. He let a few of them stain a small pink stone he took from inside one of the pockets of his military jacket and almost immediately submerged it inside the fluid heart of the sleeping beast.

Like she had once before witnessed, many, many years ago there was a blast of blinding bright light and the mighty Escaflowne awoke from its quiet slumber, instantly opening its front hatch to its master as it had done countless times in the past.

For awhile he stood motionless; only his everlasting unruly hair moving with the strong wind. His lips moved imperceptibly as if he was uttering a prayer and then he suddenly turned around surprised. That was when Hitomi saw _her_ too.

Dressed in a simple yet elegant blue gown, very similar to the one Hitomi had first seen her in; she looked like the proverbial 'picture of perfection'. Her dark hair was now slightly longer than she remembered it to have been though, and she used it tied in the back in a more ladylike manner.

Hitomi was somewhat surprised to realize she didn't harbour any sort of ill feelings toward the queen at all. After all, Isabella had been the nicest, most graceful person she had ever met while on Gaea.

Sure, the young woman had also once been the reason for destroying her happiness, but that was all in the past now, and Hitomi was quite glad someone like her was in charge of Fanelia's affairs.

That particular dream stayed in Hitomi's mind for a lot longer than she really cared for and although she never again dreamt about any of its two participants, she was now positively sure of two things. Somewhere in Gaea there was a very, very big war raging on; and _he_ was fighting in it.

The sound of the front door opening and closing preceded by light footsteps in the hallway brought Hitomi back to the real world and soon enough Yukari Uchida appeared in the kitchen doorway holding a small child in her arms.

"Hey!...You're up already?" The red-haired eyed Hitomi surprised.

"Yeah... Couldn't sleep anymore." She was quick to notice the suspicious look that came over her best friend and added. "I have to get ready to go to work soon anyway... Is he sleeping?" She asked after noticing the unusual lethargic state of the child.

Yukari lowered her voice a bit. "Drowsed off in the car on the way back."

Hitomi smiled and took the boy from her arms. "Thanks for taking care of him. I really needed the time to rest."

"Don't mention it." Yukari said while inspecting a few of the medical magazines Hitomi had scattered over the counter. "I love spending time with him. Takeru is a riot!"

As if on cue the little boy slowly lifted his head from Hitomi's shoulder and yawned sleepily. "Hi mommy."

"Hi! Did you have a nice time with aunt Yukari?"

The infant nodded happily. "Yep. She bought me ice-cream and cotton candy and let me go on all the rides, even the big rollercoaster that mommy never lets me go on, 'cause I'm too small."

Hitomi looked incredulous at her friend. "You let him go on _what_?"

Yukari didn't lift her eyes from the magazine she was reading, although her voice was a pitch higher than normal when she answered her. "I have _nooo_ idea what he's talking about!"

"Can I go play in the backyard?" Takeru asked then, making the most use of his trademark puppy eyes.

Hitomi put her energetic son down, trying unsuccessfully to comb his messy hair with her fingers. "Yes... But no climbing trees, you little monkey."

As soon as the cheerful young boy went past the doorway, Yukari turned to Hitomi with a strange glint in her eyes. "So... what did you dream about this time?"

"What makes you think I dreamt at all?"

"Call it psychiatrist's sixth sense." The red-haired said casually. "Besides you are my best friend. You couldn't keep a secret from me to save your own life." She added with a big grin.

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Fine! I did have another dream while sleeping this afternoon. Satisfied?"

"Very." Yukari leaned forward in the counter and whispered conspiratorially. "So... was it about... you-know-who?"

It took a few seconds for Hitomi to figure out who she was cryptically referring to. When she did, she chuckled. Her friend was always so overly dramatic when it came to adressing that certain person! "You-know-who _does_ have an actual name, you know?"

"Ok, ok, was the dream about Van or not?" Yukari asked expectantly.

"Sorry to disappoint you… but no!" Hitomi was very careful to emphasise the last word. "Hey, don't look so down! You should know by now that fairytales don't always have happy endings."

Yukari narrowed her eyes at her comment. "Yes, but in this particular case it _didn't_ because Cinderella decided to dump Prince Charming for no apparent reason." She said accusingly.

Hitomi took a long sip of coffee to calm herself; she now knew what she was in for. "Really? No apparent reason?" She retorted calmly. "What was the point then of continuing a relationship that was doomed to end anyway?... We were too different from each other. It would have never worked out; even _if_ for awhile I lived in obvious delusion thinking our love for each other was enough to solve every problem we could be faced with."

She shook her head tiredly. "Besides, he _is_ married now. And from what I could tell from the dream I had, he's _very_ happily married. End of story."

"Well, he would never have gotten married in the first place if you-"

"Don't even go there, Yukari!"

"But during the dream didn't you-"

"No!... I did _not_, in any way, experience any sort of warm, fuzzy feelings as soon as I saw him again, nor did I feel any sudden urge to curse his wife out of jealousy."

Yukari opened her mouth to try and counterattack her friend's argument yet again, but Hitomi was quicker. "No matter how much you try to convince me otherwise, the truth is I have absolutely no more feelings toward that man, and if I'm lying, lightning may strike me in the head."

"Hm... You should be careful then. I heard there will be a thunderstorm tonight." Yukari said sticking her tongue out like a child.

She managed to duck just in time to avoid being hit in the head with the latest issue of 'World Science'.

Outside the kitchen window, a small lightning cut through the heavy clouds, illuminating the dark afternoon sky.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who read/ reviewed chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed this one. I'm writing short chapters so I can update more quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 3 **

* * *

A wasteland. A vast, barren wasteland stretching as far as the eye could see. What once had been a flourishing meadow, plentiful of life, was now covered in ash and dust. Everything had been burnt beyond recognition. Trees, animals... people. There was nothing left alive... yet another clean sweep.

The ground was still heated from the blasts; Van could feel its warmth despite the heavy boots he wore. His men had been the first to arrive there after the attack. The painfully familiar ear-piercing sound they'd heard had been enough of an alert for them to realize something was terribly wrong; but when they finally arrived, the damaged had been done and the elusive enemy had already evaded the site to spread destruction somewhere else.

As the last rays of the setting sun washed over the earth, his men still wandered about the dark scenery helplessly searching for any signs of life. It was useless, Van knew. They had never been able to find any intact bodies, let alone any survivors. The Egzardian troops made sure of that...

Van squeezed his hand into a tight fist in an attempt to control his surging rage. Why? He thought. Why had he once again been too late in guessing Ulrich's plans? How many more lives would have to perish until he could find a way to stop him?

A soldier suddenly appeared beside him, forcing the young king to conceal his distressed emotions behind a mask of perfect ease. As a ruler he was very much aware he could never afford to let his men think he doubted his strength in this war; even though that was the outright truth at the moment.

The soldier's face on the other hand looked as pale as the moon. Van figured he was probably still not use to the stench of death. He would, though. They all did, eventually. It was the only way they could remain sane amongst so much pain and destruction.

"Your presence is requested at base camp, sir." The wan soldier said, while saluting his king. "The Crusade has docked in our port for repairs and its captain requests an immediate audience with your highness."

The surprise of hearing the familiar airship's name after so many apprehensive weeks nearly managed to demolish Van's composed demeanour. Allen was still alive? He had given up all hope of ever hearing from him again. To his and everyone's knowledge the Crusade and its entire crew had completely vanished more than three weeks ago while fighting a group of doppelganger troops on the south boarder of Asturia.

And while Queen Millerna had been diligent in sending search teams after the missing airship, all efforts to retrieve any understanding of their whereabouts had proven themselves fruitless and everyone was left to assume the worst.

Van immediately started toward Escaflowne, leaving the desolated landscape finally behind him. A bad feeling was threatening to take over him. He needed to know what had happened; he needed to see Allen with his own eyes; even if only to confirm that his friend had indeed come back from the dead.

* * *

King Ulrich of Egzardia was a patient man. He knew he could never achieve any success in this war if he didn't meticulously plan every single step he took, every single order he dispatched and every single life he shattered; until all the pieces he needed where perfectly aligned and ready to grant him the long awaited victory.

And the present war had indeed been a true test to his endurance, because although the battles and blood spilling had really only began a few weeks ago, the calculated planning and cunning deceitfulness that was now giving him the upper hand on the battlefield, had already been dragging on for years.

After playing the role of the concerned ruler for almost a decade, strengthening alliances with poor, helpless neighbouring countries and signing peace treaties with strong powerful ones, he now rejoiced with the notion that he had fooled them all. While the majority of nations agreed to demilitarized themselves after the Destiny War in order to pursue the new ideal of pacification, he himself secretly acquired military information and slowly but surely built an army, with enough weapon power to overtake them all.

His goal - power. What he longed for above all was to obtain power; to subjugate everyone and everything to his will. To go down in history as the great unifier who abolished all frontiers and united the whole planet under one sole, powerful leadership; and he had precisely the means to accomplish that now. Only one small piece was missing from his carefully constructed puzzle; one very crucial piece. But even that one would be easily attained given time.

Sitting behind the large secretary of his private chamber aboard his state of the art warship which hovered through the clouds undetected, the king eyed his chief advisor curiously.

"What do you mean, you 'don't think what I did was wise'?" He asked almost amused. "I've gotten all the information I needed; they were of no more use to me at all." He remarked calmly.

"But to let them escape so easily, sir?" The meekly advisor insisted. "They are bound to have joined their allies in the area by now."

Ulrich laughed at the man's distraught expression. "Well yes, that _is_ what I was counting on!... Of course I also know exactly what 'allies' they have joined."

The old man looked at his king confused. "I've been meaning to drop by their secret campsite to pay my respects for quite some time." Ulrich explained; his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And thanks to our runaway friends and of course, our tracking-devises, I now know exactly where _they_ are."

Ulrich passed a small piece of paper to his advisor's hands. The old man immediately recognized the image portrayed in it as a military base camp. The small tents aligned with each other in long rows and the war melefs stationed about were perfectly indicative of that. What caught his attention though was the red and gold flags scattered a little all over the campsite.

"Send word for the weapons to be prepared." Ulrich said coolly.

"B-But, sir!" The advisor cried out alarmed. "You wouldn't... This is the Fanelian camp, sir!"

"Yes... I know."

He looked incredulous at his king. "B-But the king of Fanelia will most likely be at the camp."

Ulrich didn't seem yet again to acknowledge the reason for his surprise.

"I see..." The advisor nodded, finally understanding his ruler's bloody plan. He sighed defeated. "Shall I give the order for a full attack, then?" He asked bleakly.

"Oh, no, no! Don't _vaporize_ them... Do you find me such a heartless man?" Ulrich inquired with a strange grin on his face. "After all, what kind of a father would I be, if I weren't to _at least_ allow my dearest daughter the chance to bury her husband's body."

His boisterous laughter was heard all throughout the airship.

* * *

"What? You were _where_?" Even general Takeshi had a hard time disguising his astonishment as the blond knight finished relating the events he and the rest of the Crusade crew had gone thru since the day they had been captured by the enemy.

"I've told you, for the past three weeks I was one of king Ulrich's 'guests'... And with all the 'commodities' such a position is entitled to, as well." Allen Schezar retorted with dry irony.

Van had stayed silent the whole time his friend had spoken. As soon as he had arrived at his base camp, he was informed the knight and the general were already waiting for him in his private tent. The captain that accompanied Van to his destination informed him that two of the airship's crew members had been taken to the infirmary in a life-threatening state.

As Van rushed to where he had been summoned, he spotted the Crusade in a near elevated platform. It was severely damaged; there was a huge hole crossing its entire left side and all of the sails were torn to tatters. It had to be indeed a miracle that they where able to land the airship without killing themselves in the process.

"We made use of the guard exchange this morning... for some reason it took longer than usual, and we managed to escape the catacombs of Ulrich's airship." Allen continued with his report. "We made it to the hangar unharmed, but then the guards caught up with us... That's when Gadeth and Oruto were injured." A deep frown appeared on his face; he then turned to his friend. "I'm sorry, Van. I would never have come here in the first place, but I feared for their lives. They were in desperate need of medical assistance and with the airship in such a state-"

"No, rest assured that you did well." Van immediately made clear to him. "I'm just glad you were able to escape with your lives... Ulrich isn't exactly known for his humanitarian ways toward his prisoners of war."

Allen snickered. "Oh, he _would_ have killed us eventually, I'm sure. In fact, the only reason we were kept alive was to endure endless questionings in order for him to try and extract information from us."

"Information?" The general asked somewhat apprehensive. "What sort of information? About the alliance's strategies?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Allen retorted a little apprehensive himself. "Instead all the interrogations seemed to concern the Destiny War... Our involvement in it... Our knowledge of Zaibach's former power..."

Van gave a dry chuckle. "That bastard really has everything planned out." He said griping the arm of the chair he was sitting in tightly; his anger was getting awfully difficult to control these days.

Both the general and the knight turned to look at him intrigued.

"Ulrich is after Dornkirk's Fate Alteration Machine." Van said gravely. "He wants to pick up where the Emperor left off... He's convinced himself that it's the only way to obtain the power he needs to win the war." The silence that suddenly fell over the room brought more emphasis to his sullen words.

Allen's eyes went wide in understanding. "Then he is indeed a madman! We must stop him."

Van leaned his back against the wooden chair and sighed. "Yes, but in order to stop him we have to get near him, and whoever does _that_ ends up in a pile of ash." He shook his head to dismiss the dark memories from that afternoon. "Until we find what weapon he is using and destroy it... we don't stand a chance." He said bitterly.

"Still no clue about what it is then?" The knight inquired despondent.

Van stayed silent. After all, he didn't have any favourable answer to give him. It was Takeshi the one who related the events of that afternoon to Allen. It was with great shock and sadness that the knight listened to the account of the deaths of so many Basram soldiers. The already glum atmosphere inside the tent only got worse.

When the rhythm of the conversation subsided, the general got up from his seat, excusing himself on the ground of security issues and exited the tent, leaving the two friends alone for the first time.

Allen turned to watch Van. Slumped in his chair, with his eyes drifting dangerously close to sleep, he looked tired. Like he hadn't had a good night's rest for months now, although he was sure he himself looked a hundred times worse. "We at least had _some_ leverage in the last war." The blond knight remarked out of the blue.

Van eyed his friend baffled. "And what leverage was that?" He couldn't remember ever having any sort of advantage against Dornkirk's army.

The knight had a curious look on his face when he answered him. "The question is not _what _Van, it's _who... _Hitomi and her foreseeing abilities would really come in handy right now, you know."

The mere mention of _her_ name nearly caused Van to fall of his chair. It had been so long since he had heard anyone say it.

"I'm sure she would help us if she could." Allen continued unperturbed. "If only we had a way to get in touch with her... You don't suppose you could-"

"No!" Van cried out, completely alert now. "It's out of the question. She has nothing to do with this world anymore." He was visibly disturbed as he swiftly got up and walked toward his desk.

The curious look came back to Allen's face. He eyed Van for a few quiet moments while the young king violently went through the mess of documents and charts in the small desk, with no real purpose besides to distract his mind.

"Why is it that for the past few years, every time someone mentions her name to you, you lose your peaceful temper?"

Van froze on the spot. With his back still turned to the knight he tried as best as he could to calm his voice. "I would really appreciate it, if you stopped talking about that person."

"You know, I always thought you two would end up together. And... I'm sure _you_ yourself once thought that too." Allen said in a low voice. "What happened, Van? What happened to your love for each oth-"

"You should leave." Van told him sternly without turning around to face him. "The doctors are bound to have some news of your comrade's condition by now."

The harsh tone of finality in Van's voice surprised Allen, but it was enough for the knight to realize he would not be getting any satisfactory results with that conversation... Some other time, perhaps.

"I´ll leave you to rest, then." The blond man said and with a slight bow he left the tent.

Van felt his body slowly unfreeze. Supporting his hands on top of the pile of mismatching papers, he let his head hung low. _Her_ again. It was always _her_. Like a ghost perpetually haunting his life, overpowering his memories and consuming his mind; there seemed to be no limits to the power she had over him.

And as much as he tried to forget her, as much as he tried to convince himself he _could_ forget her, she somehow always managed to creep back into his life. She haunted everything; innocent conversations with his friends, familiar places, his belongings...

He searched through his jacket pockets until his fingers came in contact with a thin chain. As soon as he pulled it out the minute pink gemstone glistened brightly, reflecting the dim candle light.

Van had found the pendant among his personal possessions the day after he'd left Fanelia. It came attached with a little note written in what he immediately recognized as Merle's handwriting. _"It brought you good luck in the last war. I hope it does it again!"_ The note said. _"And don't you dare throw it away!" _

He almost did... Just like five years ago, when its original owner had unmercifully drawn a knife through his heart. Not surprisingly the anger didn't stay with him for long back then; there were other more depressing emotions to be consumed with after all, and so he wasn't able to dispose of it, opting instead to present the offending gemstone to Merle in hopes she would keep it safely... and far away from him.

He swung the chain in front of his eyes, watching as with every perfect swing another second went by... Just like she herself had done a thousand times before.

"Dammit! Get out of my head!" He cried out suddenly.

He needed to go back home; he needed to see his wife's face once again. Only she could lessen his dark thoughts... A wave of guilt unexpectedly struck him. Yes, she could lessen his thoughts,... but she couldn't stop them. He _loved_ his wife, he loved his wife dearly but that didn't prevent a small part of his mind from wishing it was another woman he held in bed every night... And he loathed himself for it.

Shoving the chain back in his pocket, he made his way toward the makeshift bed in the far end of the tent. 'Good luck', or 'no good luck', he was sending the damn thing back to Merle first thing in the morning.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him as soon as he threw himself on top of the heavy blankets. He felt so tired; his eyes were so heavy. As the small pendant grew warmer inside his pocket, Van wished for a dreamless night.

He was already fast asleep when the first bomb hit the ground...

* * *

Ah, the angst! lol

Thanks again for the reviews. I'm glad you are appreciating the story!


	4. Chapter 4

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 4 **

* * *

Nightshifts were the worst.

If Hitomi disliked anything about being a doctor it had to be the stressful and exhausting nightshifts she was forced to endure every few weeks at the hospital. And all because the emergency unit where she worked somehow always managed to get over flooded with patients. And as fate would have it, the worse floods invariably seemed to coincide with her own shifts.

She was beginning to think she was cursed! From simple broken bones, to more life-threatening cases, Hitomi would quickly lose count of the amount of people she had treated during those early hours of the new day.

She bore everything with a smile though. A smile _and_ copious amounts of strong coffee! The truth was Hitomi loved her job so much that while she was at the hospital she completely managed to suppress all tiredness to the point her lively high-spirits amazed patients and co-workers alike.

Even her energy had limits however, and as soon as the abominable nightshifts were over all the withhold fatigue and dullness would overflow through her body, leaving Hitomi to often be found exiting the hospital at dawn in an almost comatose, half-dead state... precisely like the one she was in now.

She leaned sluggishly against the door of her car in an attempt to avoid losing the much needed balance, while she desperately searched the inside of her over packed handbag for the dodgy car keys.

"Hey, Kanzaki!" Someone called from behind her.

Hitomi turned around to see one of her colleagues quickly making his way toward her through the silent parking lot.

"Oh, hey Nomura!" She said, barely able to keep her eyes open. "What's up?"

Hitomi's drowsy state caused a smile to appear on the other doctor's lips. "You left something behind in the common room." He told her amused.

"Oh, really?" Hitomi said, a little aloof. She had just turned her handbag upside down and was currently going through its contents scattered over the hood of her car. "Where the hell did I put-"

The car keys suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. "Looking for these?" The doctor asked, holding the missing object in his stretched hand. "You left them next to the coffee machine... again."

Noticing the grin on his face, Hitomi blushed. "Oh yeah, now I remember." She said, embarrassed with her own forgetfulness. "Well, thanks for bringing them to me... again."

She took the keys from his hand and attempted to open the driver's door... _attempted_ because her numbed hands didn't seem to be able to coordinate the movements her lethargic brain was ordering them to perform. She kept missing the keyhole.

Hitomi was about to curse out loud, when she felt herself grabbed by the arm and being pulled away from the grey car. "Come. I finished my shift too. I'll give you a ride home." Nomura said.

In her half-sleeping state it took Hitomi a few moments to react. She was already in front of her colleague's shiny convertible when the gift of speech decided to grace her again. "Huh? Why?" She asked between yawns. "You don't have to do that. My car is right here."

Nomura looked at her amused, as he got behind the steering wheel of the Aston Martin Vanquish. "Yes, your _car_ is here; your _brain_ however is already at home fast asleep. Get in; I'm not letting you drive in such a state. You'll end up killing someone!"

"Hey!" Hitomi cried out not so thrilled by his comment and immediately started to turn back in the direction of her own, a lot less expensive, poor excuse for a four-wheel vehicle.

"You know I'll just drag you back, Kanzaki." Was Nomura's mockingly severe warning. "Just get in the car." He said, unlocking the passenger's door for her.

She was still cursing silently, when she finished clasping the seatbelt securely in place. "I'll have you know," Hitomi remarked with indignation as soon as the Aston Martin pulled out into the driveway. "I am one excellent driver, even if... (yawn)... sometimes I happen to be... (yawn)... just a little sleepy... (yawn)... Oh, hell! Who am I kidding? Thanks for the ride." She finally admitted, leaning her head against the comfy car seat.

Nomura laughed whole-heartedly. "Your welcome. Glad to be of service... And I'm of course also glad I'll be able to prevent a few car accidents this morning."

Hitomi's heavy handbag hit him right in the shoulder. "Don't make fun of me, Nomura!" She said menacingly.

She turned her head to the side window, watching as thedormant city around them was slowly beingbrought back tolifeby the first rays of the ascending sun. In a way, she was very happy she didn't have to drive herself home that morning. She could appreciate the changing scenery a lot better from the passenger's seat. Mornings had always been Hitomi's favourite time of the day. To her they were forever filled with new possibilities, with the promise of life... She frowned. Well, at least for some.

Her colleague was quick to catch the change in her expression and turned to her with concerned eyes. "Bad shift?" He asked cautiously.

Hitomi didn't take her eyes form the view outside the window. "No, not really... Well, there was a case about 5 a.m. though. A four-year-old witha head trauma... He'd been in an accident. His parents escaped unharmed, but he... Well, I sent him to surgery before I left... I hope he's going to be ok."

"You always have a soft spot for kids, but I guess that is normal when one is a parent, I wouldn't know... You are reminded of Takeru, aren't you?" Hitomi nodded quietly.

"Hey, how is the little monkey?" Nomura inquired, trying to lighten her mood.

"Well, he hasn't climbed any more trees lately." She said with visible relief. "I think he didn't enjoy wearing the cast you put on his arm all that much last time... But I'm sure it won't take too long until he forgets all about it, jumps off another one and breaks his other arm." She sighed. "I can't get him to stay put in one place!"

Nomura chuckled. "Oh, so he still thinks he can fly then? What a fantastic imagination he has. You are very lucky though, Kanzaki. He's a great kid!"

"Yeah, I know." Hitomi was staring straight at him now, while his own eyes were fixed on the road ahead of them. She'd finally remembered why she felt so at ease and secure near Nomura; why it was so easy to talk to him about everything... _Their_ voices were exactly the same. The tone, the pauses, even some of the expressions she heard him use, it was like _he_ was the one talking to her.

If Hitomi were to close her eyes and let her colleague speak some more, she was sure she would immediately feel _his_ presence instead. And what bothered her about the whole thing, was that she wasn't bothered by it at all. In fact, since that weird dream she had a few weeks agoshe had been unconsciously seeking Nomura's company at the hospital just to get a chance to hear his voice. Why was that? She wondered.

He must had sense her staring at him, because his cheeks suddenly turned slightly red. "Kanzaki... No, I mean Hitomi," He started. "You know about the fundraising gala the hospital is promoting in a few days for the new paediatrics ward?"

"Yes..." Hitomi retorted intrigued; not really about the question itself but more as to why he was calling her by her first name all of a sudden.

"Well, I was wondering if you might..." His eyes darted from the road to her for a second; he sounded so uncharacteristically nervous. "It's just an idea but... maybe you wouldn't mind going to the gala... with me."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to say anything right now." He was quick to add. "It's just an idea. I just thought we might go together. I thought it might be fun."

Hitomi let her eyes drop to her hands resting in her lap. So... what she had suspected for a few months now, was in fact true. Her colleague had taken a liking in her. "Nomura," She said quietly. "You must be aware that I don't-"

"Yes, I know." He interrupted her; a strange look in his eyes. Was it hurt? She couldn't tell. "You don't look at me the same way I look at you…"

"Nomura, I-"

"Look, I don't want to ask anything major from you, because I know a part of your heart, as small as it may be is still somewhere else, but… could you at least promise me you'll think about it someday? About maybe…giving _us_ a chance."

Hitomi stared at his hopeful expression; at all that unrequited love pouring from him and suddenly found herself nodding. "I promise, Ryo."

* * *

There was blood in Van's mouth. He could taste it. And why was his head throbbing so much all of a sudden? Had something hit him? And when exactly had it gotten so warm? As Van slowly began to regain back his consciousness, he first noticed the strong smoky scent around him; then his ears increasingly picked out the sound of heavy explosions and loud shouting; but it was when he finally managed to open his eyes that the true scenario revealed itself in all its devastating reality.

The entire campsite was on fire. He could see it because the fabric that made up his tent was itself being consumed by the red and yellow flickering flames. For a few seconds he kept himself motionless, staring at the surreal events unfolding in front of him, and debating with his mind whether or not he was still sleeping.

But then another large explosion violently shook the ground beneath him, immediately awaking him from his daze and he quickly realized the severity of the situation… The Fanelian base camp was under attack.

Van tried to get up from under the shattered desk that held him captive. How odd! He thought for a moment. He could have sworn the small wooden desk had been on the other side of the tent early that night. As a matter of fact, nothing seemed to be in the right place anymore. It was like a hurricane had gone thru the small area, turning everything upside down.

With great difficulty Van managed to get up on his feet. It was only after that he noticed the red stains on his jacket. There was a deep cut on his left arm and a smaller one above his stomach, probably from when the desk had hit him,... or he had hit the desk. Fighting off the increasing jolts of pain all over his body he picket up his sword, which somehow had flown to the tent's entrance, and went out into the burning hell.

Someone immediately shouted his name from a distance. "Van! It's Ulrich." Allen, with clothes also tainted with fresh blood, was pointing to the dark sky above them.

Van raised his eyes just in time to see a foreign airship release a large projectile toward the ground. This time the target was the melef storage area and the resulting explosion nearly knocked Van out of his balance.

He felt the familiar surge of rage threaten to take control of him again. This time he didn't hold it back. So _he'd_ finally found them. And like the coward he was, he attacked them by surprise. Very well, if it was a battle what Ulrich wanted, they'd show him one. He started to run toward Escaflowne.The Fanelian army would not go down without one hell of an epic fight...

"Van, behind you. LOOK OUT!" Allen shouted suddenly.

The young king didn't have time to turn around. He felt the wave of heat hit him straight in the back and the very next second he was being propelled in the air, only to fall roughly against the rocky ground a few meters ahead... The last thing Van remembered seeing was the bright light from the blast.

* * *

Hitomi stood waving in the sidewalk in front of her house, until the shiny Aston Martin disappeared behind a curb. Alone now in the quiet street, she couldn't help repeating the events of the last few minutes in her mind. He had looked so serious when he'd confessed his feelings to her... Yes, she was sure now. Ryo Nomura was very much in love with her.

Hitomi really didn't know what to think. Never once did she think of Nomura as more than just a trusted colleague, maybe even a friend. He was a kind personfull of all sort of good qualities, she was veryaware of that, yes. And a_ll_ good qualities indeed. Just ask his ever growing fan club over at the hospital. She didn't know a nurse or female doctor there who hadn't had a crush on him.

Even Yukari herself had fancied him for awhile! _"Too much of a goody two shoes for me!"_ She had told Hitomi when her interest had died out. In truth Hitomi seemed to be the only woman completely immune to his good-looks and natural charm; the only one who seemed to be able to act naturally around him. She smiled to herself. Maybe _that_ was why he'd come to like her.

She had already gone past the small gate that gave way to her house's front yard when she thought she heard someone whimper close by. She immediately looked around alarmed.

"Is someone there?" Hitomi asked anxious. There couldn't be. She had taken Takeru to spend the night at her parents'. Her house was empty.

The whimper-like sound was audible yet again and this time she jumped up frightened. She noticed it had come directly from the tall bushes dividing her front yard from her neighbours'. Armed with her heavy handbag, Hitomi sauntered ever so slowly toward the source of the strange noise; her heart beating increasingly faster against her ribcage.

Her neighbour's house had just been robbed a few night's ago, and her mind kept warning her there was a high chance the burglar would come back to try his luck on her own house... Not if she could help it!

Hitomi was just a few feet away from the 'wall' of green when one of the bushes shook abruptly. She dropped her handbag, petrified. Stupid idea! Stupid, stupid idea! Why didn't she call the police first? She thought in panic as the bush shook some more.

Just when she thought her heart could take no more suspense, Mr. Whiskers, the neighbour's atrocious cat, jumped out gallantly from the mess of green leaves and landed with a soft meow in front of her feet.

Hitomi looked baffled at the black fur ball for a second. "You.damn.cat!" She shouted with a mix of shock and relief. "Get out of here!" The startled feline immediately obeyed her stern command, quickly disappearing again behind the bush wall, but not before giving her a low, disapproving hiss.

Sighing relieved, Hitomi turned in the direction of her front porch... and screamed.

Her neck had just come in contact with a dangerous pointy object. Never mind that, what really made her scream was the man covered in blood holding it right in front of her.

Her brain fought hard to try to get her muscles to move, to try to get her to run away, but her whole body was frozen from sheer fear and her eyes, wide in panic, were now looking straight at the bloodied hands holding the blade to her neck.

Seconds went by in terrifying silence. Why wasn't the man saying anything himself? The only sound that could be heard was his heavy breathing, as if he was having a hard time taking in air. Hitomi immediately recognized it as the whimper-like sound she'd heard a few minutes ago.

Gathering up all her courage she risked lifting her eyes to his face. In the dim morning light, the blood running down the man's face and tainting his clothes looked almost black. She felt like another scream was ready to come out. It didn't though. For when she finally managed to look into the man's own widen eyes, it was as if her breath was knocked out from her. Those eyes, those eyes, she knew those burgundy eyes.

"No!" She cried out. It couldn't be. It was impossible. She had to be dreaming again. She had to.

The sword fell to the ground with a soft thud. Slowly and hesitantly, the man took a step forward, shortening the distance between them and stretched his shaking arm to touch her face.

"H-Hitomi?" He asked quietly; unsure of himself.

She didn't answer. She was too shocked to answer. His touch felt so real.

"Why?" Van managed to say, before his eyelids closed suddenly and he collapsed unconscious into Hitomi's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_"Was it all a lie then?"_

_"…"_

_"Say something, damn it!"_

_"…"_

_"I hate you... Do you hear me? I.hate.you."_

_"I know..."_

It was a particularly acute jolt of pain that interrupted Van's troubled dream. He didn't open his eyes immediately though; preferring instead to allow his drowsy brain to regain control over his aching muscles first.

He felt like a dragon had landed on him! From the top of his head to the tip of his toes there was not one inch of flesh that didn't feel extremely sore. But at least now he knew he was still alive... Only the living could experience pain after all. He had somehow managed to survive the bomb explosion then.

As the dull ache on his chest started to increase, Van finally chanced opening his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the bright sunlight coming through the ample open window on the wall to his side; its warm rays bathed the white sheets that covered him, warming the large bed where he laid resting.

His head was propped up by a pile of soft pillows, giving him a direct view of the opposite wall. He realized somewhat surprised it was covered in some sort of flowery wallpaper. In fact, the broad, cream flower designs seemed to copy the ones embroidered in the duvet cover neatly folded at the foot of the bed. What strange, unfamiliar room he found himself in! He wondered where exactly he had been brought to recover… because it _was_ plainly obvious to him by now he wasn't in any hospital tent.

Allen's home was the first location to spring to his mind. The campsite was not that far off from his private residence after all. It might just have been the case that in the middle of the chaotic attack someone had evacuated him to his friend's home - the nearest, safest place available - in order to tend to his wounds. Van looked again at the flowery patterns around the room and fought back a laugh. How very Allen-ish indeed!

He was studying the curious room more attentively, when his eyes fell upon a large standing mirror to his right. At the sight of his own reflection in it, Van's breath instantly caught on his throat. Had a dragon really fallen on him? It sure looked like it!

He could see his forehead, chest and arms were heavily bandaged and the few areas of exposed skin were themselves extremely bruised up. Indeed, his usually healthy tan skin now presented itself in a pallet of gruesome colours that ranged from dark violet to bloody red.

The fresh realisation of his current condition only succeeded in increasing the jolts of pain all throughout his body and the sudden one he felt on his left arm was in truth so piercing that he involuntarily looked straight at it, clenching his teeth in pain.

That was when Van noticed the strange contraption coming out of the back of his hand. Alarmed, he stared at what resembled a small surgical needle securely taped to his skin and attached to a long clear tube filled with transparent liquid.

"What the…" He immediately lifted his other hand to rip it off, but slender fingers caught it before he had the chance.

"Oh, no you don't! That stays in."

Van didn't realize if it was the soft touch on his wrist or the gentle tone of the familiar voice that was responsible for unexpectedly immobilizing his body. What he did realize instantly however was the fact he wasn't breathing anymore when his head turned ever so slightly to the side to gaze at the young woman sitting on an armchair right next to the bed.

With eyes widen with overwhelming shock, he wondered for a few seconds if his throbbing head was making him see things… But she didn't seem like a vision at all. She looked so real. He could even feel the warmth radiating from her fingers still holding his wrist... Visions can't be 'felt', right?

His mind suddenly started screaming at him to say something, but Van was sure he had forgotten how to speak. He didn't understand anything anymore. What was going on?

The uncomfortable situation in the room made Hitomi react first. "It's serum… mixed with painkillers." She spoke hesitantly, placing his hand quickly back down on top of the white sheet. "It will help ease the discomfort."

She waited in silence for him to speak, to say _anything_ really, but still he kept himself quiet; still he refused to take his eyes from her.

Then all of a sudden, as if remembering something important, she grabbed his bandaged wrist once again. This time though, her touch made Van flinch and as a result she immediately released it startled. "I'm just going to take your pulse." She told him quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. "It's been erratic for the past few hours."

After a very long moment of hesitation, Van placed his bruised hand on top of her own. Another minute went by in awkward silence, while Hitomi counted his heartbeats with the help of her small wristwatch. She didn't say anything when she finished, but he noticed the tiny sigh of relief that escaped her lips. That had to be a good sign…

She then got up from her seat and carefully pulled off a part of the sheet that covered him, placing the flat end of what he recognized as a stethoscope over his bandaged chest. "Could you breathe in and out slowly, please?" She requested; still managing to avoid any type of eye contact with him.

Having her lean so close to him, like she was at the moment, made Van feel extremely awkward all of a sudden...and confused. His mind was being bombarded by hundreds of questions just dying to be asked, yet instead he kept trying to distract himself from the surreal situation. Not very successfully though; his own eyes didn't seem to want to turn away from her at all.

It was like they wanted Van to fully acknowledge that the young woman in front of him _was_ indeed Hitomi… and yet at the same time _wasn't_… How could he explain it? It was the same body, yet more defined; the same face, yet somehow lacking the same familiarity; those same vibrant emerald-green eyes, yet wiser and more experienced. It was like she was a more mature version of the girl he once knew. Yes, there was definitely something about her that he didn't recognize anymore. Maybe that was why his initial alarm was starting to subside.

"What are you doing here?" He finally asked, noticing his voice sounded incredibly rusty, like he hadn't used it in days.

The question must had sounded very odd to her, because for the first time she stared straight at him; a questioning look on her face.

"What do you mean _here_?"

"I don't understand." Van looked around the room confused. "How did you get here?... How long have you been staying with Allen?"

Hitomi sat back in her armchair, confused herself. "Allen? What are you talking about?... Don't-don't you remember?"

"Remember _what_?" His head started to throb furiously as he desperately tried to recall the events that happened before he collapsed unconscious. "The last thing I remember was a bomb exploding behind me." He looked back at her completely disconcerted. "How did you…and all of a sudden. What happened?... Where am I?"

"You don't know?" Hitomi turned her gaze to the open window. The sun was beginning to set in the distant horizon. "You scared me so much." She told him in a low voice. "You were so badly injured, I really thought for a moment you weren't going to-. But I think I know how you got here."

She opened the drawer of her small bedside table and took her old grandmother's pendant out. "It was in one of your pockets. It must have gotten triggered when you got injured…It's supposed to keep its bearer safe, so it sort of makes sense you ended up here in a way." She added with a sad smile.

"What? I still don't unders-"

"You're on Earth, Van. The pendant brought you to me."

"_What_?" He had travelled to the Mystic Moon? Then the light he'd seen right after the blast… Ever so slowly the forgotten memories started to come back to him. The strange surroundings he had found himself in after waking up, the single-moon sky, the sight of her after so long, the disbelief in her eyes as she recognized him at last. His own disbelief for that matter!

The reality of the situation suddenly dawned on him. Oh no, he was on the Mystic Moon!

"I-I have to go back. Now." Trying his best to ignore the pain, Van attempted to get up from bed, but Hitomi was once again quick to stop him. She placed both her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie back down again.

"You're not going anywhere." She said firmly. "You lost too much blood, Van. You're still too weak."

Disregarding her words, he tried to free himself from her steady grasp; for some reason every time she touched him his skin began to burn in an all too familiar way; one he didn't want to be remembered of at all. "Will you let go of me?" Van told her irritated; he wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. "Everyone probably thinks I'm dead. I have to go back. Ulrich might cease the opportunity to attack Fanelia."

Hitomi released him immediately. "Ulrich?... _King_ Ulrich? It's Egzardia you are at war with?"

He saw how her green eyes widened in astonishment. "You know about the war?" He asked surprised.

"I've… been having strange dreams about Gaea as of late." The questioning look that appeared on his face after her remark, made Hitomi turn her eyes away from him again. "I knew Fanelia was at war…" She continued. "I just never thought…King Ulrich is behind it? Him of all people!"

Taking advantage of her bewildered state, Van managed to sit up in bed. He was about to throw the sheets off of him when he noticed his indecent state and blushed profusely.

"Where are my clothes?"

The aggravated tone of his voice made Hitomi turn her attention back to him. "Lie back down, Van! Your clothes are in the trash can. Don't look at me like that. They were covered in blood."

"_All_ of them?"

She had to bit her lip to avoid smiling at his distraught expression. "Yes, _all_ of them… Oh come on, Van. I'm a doctor and it's not like you have anything I haven't seen before anyway."

Her blunt remark only succeeded in increasing the heat in his already flushed skin. His mind kept threatening to unlock memories he did in no way want to recall at the moment. He really desperately needed to get away from her.

Pulling the white sheet tightly around his waist and supporting himself as best as he could on the head of the bed, Van carefully got from bed, despite Hitomi's constant requests for him to remain in it.

"Are you mad, Van? Your stitches are going to open if you keep moving like that. Do want to bleed to death or something?" She tried to push him back to bed, but even injured he was a lot stronger than she was.

"Give me the pendant. I can use it to get back to Gaea."

"What? I'm not going to let you leave in such a state."

"Why?... Why would _you_ care?" His voice was so cold, Hitomi was taken aback. She looked at him surprised. That was when she saw it; that bitter, angry glint in his eyes. She had only seen it once before, but the look he had given her was so powerful it had carved itself in her memory for a lifetime. Back then he had been so infuriated…and so hurt. Staring into those enraged burgundy eyes once again made her realize something. Five years hadn't changed anything. He _still_ hated her…

Quite unexpectedly, she felt her eyes start to sting from withheld tears. But why? His cold reaction toward her was exactly what she wanted, wasn't it? She wanted him to hate her, after all. She should feel happy with herself that he indeed appeared to feel that way. So why was her heart aching so much?

His anger increased with her silence. Van knew exactly which events were going trough her mind. "Get out of my way, Hitomi. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

His harsh words made her react instantly. She kicked him hard below the knee, causing him to lose the little balance he had managed to gain. Van ended up falling ungracefully on his back against the mountain of colourful pillows scattered on the bed.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?" He yelled at her.

He tried to get up again, but she placed her hands on the sheet right beside his head and he froze. She was too close; way too close. "We have nothing to do with each other anymore?" She started; suddenly angry herself. "_You_ were the one who showed up half-dead on _my_ doorstep, you stubborn idiot. What was I supposed to do? Let you die in my arms?... And I did not spend the last thirty-two hours worrying my ass off about your life, for you to go home still injured and throw yourself back in your bloody war."

Her sudden outburst left him speechless. He could only stare at her in silence as she closed her eyes and clasped the sheet in her hands more tightly in order to calm herself. It was only then that he acknowledged something he had failed to grasp since waking up in the strange room; something extremely important. She had saved his life… yet again.

"I don't care how much you might loathe me, Van." She continued; her voice now quiet and incredibly calm. "You're not going anywhere. Got it?... I'm not going to let you die."

As she opened her eyes to look back at him, a tiny tear escaped them… and he saw it.

* * *

To answer cyin's question, Hitomi hasn't been on Gaea for five years. The events of 'Beyond Dawn' take place almost 6 years after 'A Moment in Time'. In the one-shot Van and Hitomi were 18-19 years old (and had been together for about 3 years), and now they are both 24.


	6. Chapter 6

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Ulrich had been admiring the sleeping giant in front of him for quite sometime now. "Interesting piece of machinery, is it not?"

"Yes, sir. The Ispano builders clearly outdid themselves in its construction. Escaflowne is indeed a remarkable melef."

The old king traced his bulky fingers over the cold, white metal of Escaflowne's immobile arm. "I agree... It's almost a shame I have to tear it apart!" He was smiling in an affected manner when he turned around to look at his faithful advisor. "You can call the dismantle team now. And do tell them to be quick about their job. I don't have all day."

"But sir, to destroy Escaflowne just for its energist…Isn't that a bit too harsh? It is a legendary melef after all… and Fanelia's symbol. Couldn't any other energist serve your majesty's purpose?"

"Now, now, advisor Millard!" Ulrich said in a patronizing tone. "I'm starting to think you have a soft spot for that wretched country. Are you forgetting where your allegiance lays?"

Sensing the sudden scrutiny of his king's gaze, Millard immediately shook his head to dismiss any suspicions. "No, sir. Of course not. It's just that given the fact that it is also King Van's melef, I thought your majesty might not want to-"

Ulrich snorted. "King Van, King Van, King Van. Will I ever stop hearing that despicable name? God knows, I should have killed that pestering boy long ago." He retorted in obvious irritation. "Listen very carefully, Millard. Escaflowne's energist and Escaflowne's energist _alone_ can lead me to the missing piece of my puzzle. I am very, _very_ close to achieving my goal, and I don't care how many 'King Van's' I'll have to destroy in the process. Now go fetch the dismantle team." He shouted.

Old Millard's legs were still trembling from fear as he exited the room in a hurry to execute his ruler's stern command.

Ulrich was therefore left alone in the large hangar of his colossal airship. Surrounded by war melefs, he was truly in his element. He closed his eyes and a distorted smirk appeared on his lips once again. "Yes, yes, _she_ too will be mine soon." He whispered to himself satisfied.

* * *

Yukari couldn't believe her ears. "Wait a minute! Are you serious?"

The young woman laying in the couch in front of her nodded.

"Do you mean to tell me he is really here?" Nope, she definitely couldn't believe it.

Her best-friend nodded once again, before burying her face back on the couch pillow.

"_Van_ is here? _The_ Van?"

Hitomi threw her hands in the air exasperated. "Yes, Yukari! Van Slanzar de Fanel, King of Fanelia, is here, in my home, sleeping, in my bed, as we speak."

The red-haired stared dumbfounded at the living-room doorway for a moment. The open door allowed her to view Hitomi's own bedroom door across the hallway. So he was just on the other side of it? After a moment of deliberation, she started to get up from her seat.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going?" Yukari retorted, arching an eyebrow. "I've been hearing about the man for nine years. It's about time I see him in person."

Hitomi quickly grabbed the back of her jacket in an attempt to stop her. "Don't! It took me forever to convince him to go back to sleep. If anyone makes a noise around him, he'll wake up. He needs to rest."

Yukari took a good look at her friend's tired face and sighed. "Tell me the truth, you haven't rested yourself since he arrived, have you?"

A sad smile appeared on Hitomi's lips. "And how could I? His condition only got stable a couple of hours ago."

Shaking her head in obvious disapproval, her friend calmly went back to her seat. "I don't get it, though. If he was that injured, why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"Oh, yeah, and risk having him spread his wings in the examination table in front of all the other doctors. Now _that _would have been an interesting scene!"

Yukari suddenly chuckled despite herself. She had to admit, the scene _would_ probably cause more then a few heart attacks. "So…what now?" She asked after the room had gone silent again.

Hitomi looked at her through half-open eyes. The fatigue was beginning to win her over. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore… except the fact he hasn't forgiven me at all." She tried very hard to repress the memory of his cold stare toward her. She still felt a chill in her spine every time she remembered it.

"You have to tell him."

"No!"

"He has the right to know, Hitomi. You lied to him, for crying out loud."

"I did _not_ lie to him, Yukari. I just-"

"- omitted the truth. Yes, I heard that excuse a hundred times before. Well, how long do you think you'll still be able to keep 'omitting the truth'? He's here now! He's bound to bump into 'the truth' while he's around."

"He won't… I took precautions. I'll just… have to be careful until he leaves."

"Ah, but do you really _want_ him to leave?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hitomi looked at her friend's hopeful expression and suddenly felt like hitting her. "Don't you dare start with your theories again."

"I won't." Yukari said coolly. "I simply find it curious that you've just spend the last two days awake taking care of a man you supposedly have absolutely no more feelings for. Any good psychiatrist would tell you, that is an obvious case of repressed emotions. It is plainly clear you still like him."

This time she wasn't able to avoid the blow. Hitomi's pillow hit her right in the face. "I really hate you sometimes, you know?" The blonde young woman said between clenched teeth.

"Yes, I do." Yukari answered with a big grin.

She wasn't able to pester her friend any further because there was a loud knock on the front door of the house and just a few seconds later they both heard the sound of the door lock giving in to a key.

"Are you expecting someone?" Yukari asked surprised.

Hitomi eyed her somewhat surprised herself. "No...I'm not." She was about to get up from the couch when Takeru suddenly appeared in the living-room doorway.

"Mommy!" The small child was all smiles as he sprinted through the short distance that separated them and happily threw himself in his mother's arms.

Yukari froze in her seat, and although the same didn't happen to Hitomi, who immediately had hugged her son back, her friend noticed that she had paled considerably all of a sudden.

"Hey girls!" Came a male voice from the doorway. A young man with spiked hair and baggy street clothes had just come into the living-room with a smile on his face.

"Mamoru?! What are you doing here?"

The man grimaced at the not-so-pleasant tone in Hitomi's voice. "Hey, nice to see you too sis!"

She ignored the irony of the remark. "Didn't mom and dad tell you? I asked if Takeru could spend a few days at home. I have to…uh…do double shifts at the hospital for the next few days." She said a little too quickly. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"Yeah… mom did tell me." Mamoru answered, a little suspicious of her odd behaviour. "But we were in the neighbourhood and Takeru insisted in coming here to pick up his stuffed dragon. He says he likes to sleep with it."

"The white dragon, mommy. Can I take him with me? Please." The little boy asked still holding onto his mother's neck.

Hitomi looked from her son in her arms to the closed door across the hallway and unexpectedly felt her knees go weak.

Yukari was quick to come to her rescue though. "I'll… go get it with him. It's in your playroom upstairs right, Takeru?" She said taking the child in her own arms.

"Is something wrong, sis?" Mamoru asked as soon as the other two had left the living room.

Hitomi still had her eyes glued on her bedroom door. "What?" She asked distracted.

"Is something going on with you, sis? You never let Takeru spend more than one night at a time in our house. Now all of sudden he's been staying there for two whole days. And you look so pale…Something's up, isn't it?"

"No. Nothing is going on, Mamoru. I'm just tired from too much work, that's all."

Her shaky voice failed to seem convincing though and as a result her brother narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you think I can't tell that you're lying, Hitomi Kanzaki? What is it? What's going on?"

"Uh…could you keep your voice down, please? I told you _nothing_ is going on."

Mamoru noticed her uneasy attitude. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" He started to scan the room with his eyes. "I knew it!"

"Will you lower your voice down?" She said glancing across the hallway for just a second. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Yeah, right!"

"You _annoying_ teenager-"

By the time Yukari got back into the room the two siblings were already in full bickering mode. It was in vain that she tried to make them stop. In truth there was not much she could do to ease the situation anyway. The Kanzaki sibling's quarrels were indeed so fierce, they were almost legendary.

They had been arguing with each other for who knows how long when Takeru's voice was heard across the room. "Mommy, who is this?"

Happy just to have an excuse to turn her back on her irritating little brother, Hitomi looked to where her son was standing, holding the little stuffed dragon in his small hands, and gasped horrified.

Leaning against the living-room doorway, with his bandages now hidden under the simple shirt and shorts he wore, Van was staring at the child in front of him in complete shock.

"Mommy?!" He whispered to himself surprised. There was a strange light in his eyes when he turned to look at Hitomi. "Y-You have a son?!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter ****7**

* * *

She hadn't moved from her spot in front of the large window since he had conveyed to her the dreadful news. Noticing her overwhelming shock, he'd kept on talking, as if communicating his own sincere beliefs would inject some reassurance into her; but after awhile she'd just stopped listening to what the blond knight had to say. Her heart was in too much pain to allow her to hear anything anymore.

When Allen realized nothing he could say could really help ease the young queen's suffering, he bowed respectfully and quietly left the room. Alone with just her thoughts it didn't take long for reality to finally sink in. Isabella collapsed on the floor, crying in devastating agony.

She didn't know how long she stayed that way, curled up in the cold stone floor; only that she cried until there were no more tears left in her eyes.

When the haggard messenger had informed her about Egzardia's attack and the king's sudden disappearance she had vehemently refused to believe him. And against all the Fanelian advisors' pleas, and perhaps even her own better judgment, Isabella had left the security of the mountain shelters to return to the country's capital, in order to assess the truth for herself.

Even as she had watched the dozens and dozens of wounded men being carried to the infirmaries across the city, she still had held onto the wild hope that everything was just some grave misunderstanding; that her own country…no, that her own _father_had not been the one responsible for such an incomprehensible bloodshed; and that her husband… her husband would at any moment come out of one of those torn melefs that crowded the streets and held her tightly in his arms like he always did.

Allen had been the one to shatter her hopes. Indeed, as soon as their eyes had met in the throne room and Isabella had noticed the look of pure devastation about him, she'd realized every single word the messenger had told her had been the truth.

So for the last few hours she had refused to leave her place near the large window of the throne room; the best spot in the palace to view the two twin moons hanging up in the bright sky. She stood there with her eyes fixed on the large blue orb, waiting in silence… whishing desperately for a sign.

"He's not dead. I know he's not dead. He _can't_ be dead!" The cat-woman behind her, had been passing around the room incessantly since she'd arrived, repeating the same words every so often as if they were some sort of mantra.

"He _is_ alive, Merle. Please, do not worry yourself so much. He wouldn't want that." Isabella said calmly, making her stop in her tracks. "Just don't ask me how I know it… I just do... And I feel he is in very good hands too."

Merle quickly came to her side by the window. She pointed to the Mystic Moon and hissed. "Good hands?! If you're referring to that low-life-excuse-for-a-human-"

"You shouldn't speak of her with such contempt, Merle. You were once friends were you not? I'm sure she does not speak of you the same way."

The cat-woman mumbled some not so very pleasant words under her breath.

"I'm certain that she is taking good care of Van. She's a good, kind-hearted person who would never let any harm come to him."

"_What?_? Don't defend her, Isabella! After everything she's done to him? She nearly destroyed his life. And _you_ know it! You were the one who had to mend him. You saw in what state she left him in!"

"You shouldn't judge others so coldly, Merle. There is always a reason behind every action." Isabella sighed, losing herself in distant memories. "And you'd be surprised at the amount of self-sacrifice a woman in love is capable of."

Merle was taken aback by her words. But she composed herself quickly and placed a hand on the queen's shoulder, assuring her with her words. "He'll come back to you, Isabella… You're his wife."

"Yes, I'm his wife." The young queen turned her eyes to the Mystic Moon once again. "But I often wonder though… if I am the only family he has left."

* * *

The night was so warm! Or maybe it was just her who felt its warmth. Being in love has that effect in some people, after all. Nonetheless she was sure that it was the sudden rise she'd felt in her body temperature that forced her to escape from the crowded ballroom and into the gardens in an attempt to cool herself down.

In truth, the last thing she wanted was to get away from the lively party inside the palace, but she couldn't risk having him see her in such an altered state… At the thought of the object of her affections, her heart immediately began to race. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Oh, how truly, madly, _deeply_ in love she found herself in! Her mind could think of no one else but him.

She had only made his acquaintance a few days ago and already it seemed to her that she would surely die if she were ever to be deprived of his company. What a generous, good-natured man he was! She now realized with delight that all the stories she'd heard about Fanelia's young monarch were indeed true. She was convinced there couldn't be a finer king in all of Gaea.

And how handsome he was too! His beautiful tan skin and dark eyes contrasted sharply with her own pale complexion and light blue eyes, but how well it soothed him. He was completely different from any other royal man she'd ever met. One could instantly perceive he was not conceited or self-absorbed as many other important rulers like him were. He was so down-to-earth! From the way he talked it was easy to sense how deeply he loved his country; how deeply he wanted to serve his people well. The perfect monarch.

She felt herself blushing profusely, exactly like she did the first time they had spoken to each other… or at least the first time _he_ had spoken to her, as she had found herself at the time too entranced by his person to properly thank him for his warm welcome to his country.

He was sharp to sense her uneasiness back then and had quickly bent down to kiss the back of her hand respectfully, smiling somewhat amused as he looked back at her before moving along the row of the remaining arriving guests. It was with that first exchange of looks between them, as innocent as an exchange of looks can be, that she knew she would never love another man as passionately as she already loved Fanelia's king. With just one look, she had willingly given him her mind and her heart.

The following days were spent trying to gather as much information about him as possible. She sought his company as much as propriety would allow it, and was overjoyed to acknowledge he didn't seem to mind it at all. She even found out by their conversations that they had many common interests. And although she had to admit he never once showed any sort of romantic inclination toward her, her hope that someday he would, grew bigger with each minute she was allowed to stay by his side.

For the first time in her life she was even happy she had been born a princess. Because she was _no_fool! Oh, no, she knew very well the reasons why her father had dragged her with him to that peace conference being held in Fanelia. The country she currently found herself in had received heavy financial aid from her own country, Egzardia, for its reconstruction after the Destiny War… and now it was time to pay up the loans.

Of course her father, the king, wealthy man as he was, had other plans in mind. Since the end of the war he had been very preoccupied with strengthening Egzardia's political alliances with its neighbouring countries, no matter what the price, and Fanelia, or Fanelia's king for that matter, being highly respected worldwide for his crucial participation in the end of the dreaded conflict suddenly became a prized candidate for the hand of his remaining unmarried daughter. In his eyes the match would indeed secure him the much wanted alliance.

At first she had been appalled by his plan. It was true that her father had never truly paid much attention to his children's feelings, but to try to marry her off to someone she had never seen before for the sake of an alliance…

But she thought little of the arrangement now. If anything it only gave her more hope that one day she could be the lucky one to rule by the young king's side.

She managed to live in a state of bliss for only three days. On the fourth day of her stay in Fanelia her hopes took a heavy blow. She had just returned to the palace from a trip to the city market, where she had bought a small token of appreciation to present the king with, when she thought she heard his voice in a near hallway. Thinking she could surprise him, she followed the sound of his low voice to a seemingly deserted corridor.

What she saw then, brought tears to her eyes. Amongst the shadows of the scarcely illuminated space, the young king stood kissing the woman wrapped in his arms. And it was no casual, fleeting kiss, she painfully noticed; but one full of passion and freeing desire. A true kiss between two lovers who knew each other intimately. The way he held the blonde woman was so raw, so full of possession… and the way she herself held onto to him; one hand griping his shirt; the other one buried deep in his hair… How the young princess's heart was so quickly engulfed by sorrow!

She tried desperately to find out who the unfamiliar blonde woman was, but with low success. Without a name the task proved itself fruitless. She didn't even know if the woman was a native or a foreigner; a royal or a commoner and despite every attempt to find her in the palace she never saw her again.

Unfortunately for her, the event didn't diminish her love for the king at all. No, she found herself falling more deeply in love with every glance she was able to catch of him, and soon enough her hopes were high yet again. _"Maybe it is nothing serious, after all."_ She repeated to herself often. _"He is young man… and a free one. He's probably just having a good time. Young men do that, don't they?"_

She had been walking for quite sometime through the quiet palace gardens, lost in her own deep thoughts, when she heard a strange noise to her side. She stopped to listen more carefully… And there it was again. How odd! It sounded just like someone…

"_Oh!"_ She thought, looking back at the distant party. It appeared like someone had had a little too much to drink at the ball. She mused with herself for a moment if she should continue along her way like she'd heard nothing, but the noise was heard yet again and thinking the person might be in need of assistance she made her way to the source of the sound.

Assuming from the start she would find some gentleman, it surprised her to spot the back of a light green ball gown. It was indeed a woman that had her back turned to her. She noticed the woman in question was slightly bent over the tall grass, with a hand still over her stomach.

"Excuse me, are you ill? Are you in need of any help? I can call someone if you'd like." The princess said immediately.

"No, please don't. I'm… I'm fine. It was just… a mild indigestion. It's over now." The woman still had her hand over her stomach when she went to sit down in a nearby garden bench.

The second her face became illuminated by the moonlight, the princess felt like screaming. It was _her_. Oh, why hadn't she recognized her right away? That sandy-blonde hair…it _was_ her. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but no words came out… So she just stood there, motionless; a look of pure shock in her blue eyes.

"You're Princess Isabella, aren't you?" The blonde woman asked after a moment of silence.

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, have we met?" Isabella asked, faking confusion. She couldn't betray her knowledge. As scarce as it might be, she wanted to act as if it was the first time she was seeing her.

The woman in front of her smiled ever so slightly. "No, princess. I'm not a royal. We would have never met each other in normal circumstances. I'm no one of importance." A sad look suddenly came over her, but it was gone the next second. She was smiling again to the princess as she continued. "But I'm glad I had the chance to. I've heard nothing but good things about you. It is a pleasure to meet you… My name is Hitomi Kanzaki."

Hitomi Kanzaki. Where did she hear that name before? It sounded familiar to Isabella. She was quick to thank the young woman for her kind words and soon enough they were both silent again. The princess had an odd feeling the other woman wanted to be left alone, but she just refused to leave until she knew more about her.

"That is a beautiful gown." She said in order to break the ice.

"Thank you… It was a gift." And there it was again; that sad look on her face.

"Are you not going to attend the ball? It would be a shame not to let such a beautiful gown be seen by others."

Hitomi sighed, closing her eyes. "Ah, the ball. It has already started, hasn't it? Yes, I was planning to attend it, but… I got a little sidetracked, I'm afraid."

It was when she opened her eyes again, that Isabella noticed for the first time how swollen and red they were. She had been crying! Her thoughts must had been evident in whatever expression she put on at that moment, because Hitomi suddenly looked at her alert.

"You must forgive me for my strange behaviour, Princess Isabella. But I… I find myself having the best and the worst day of my life at the same time… Quite a feat, isn't it?" She chuckled, but Isabella could have sworn she saw her eyes water up.

The blonde woman's seeming amusement didn't last long. She felt a new wave of vomit threatening to come out and quickly tightened the hold over her stomach with both hands.

"You should see a physician about your condition." Isabella said quietly. She couldn't take her eyes away from Hitomi's hands. "It might be more serious than indigestion."

"There's no need." Hitomi said between calm, deep breaths. "I saw one this afternoon. There's… nothing he can do for me really." She closed her eyes again and leaned her back against the wooden bench.

A faint sound of orchestra music suddenly reached their ears. It seemed that the valses had already started. The valses; the ones the king was supposed to dance with his female guests.

"You're King Van's lover, aren't you?" Isabella suddenly blurted out without thinking.

She noticed how Hitomi's eyes immediately widened in panic only to soften up just a few seconds later. "You shouldn't view me as a threat to you, Princess." She said somberly.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to imply that I-"

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" It was more a statement than a question really. "I can see how you look at him...It's the same way I do."

Isabella felt ashamed all of a sudden. "I…I don't want to claim a man that is not mine to claim."

"You don't have to worry about that, Princess. In a few hours, Van will think of me as nothing more than a bad dream." She was smiling at her again, but Isabella could see the tears running down her face. Her heart was unexpectedly filled with compassion toward the woman in front of her.

"You'll make a fine Queen." Hitomi said with reassurance. "And he'll be very happy by your side too."

Isabella shook her head confused. "What?... I don't understand."

"You will soon…"

"Princess Isabella! Princess Isabella!" Someone suddenly called from not to far away from them. "The valse, Princess. It is your turn to dance with his higness. "

Hitomi quickly got up from her seat, wiping her tears with the back of her hands. "That's advisor Johan's voice. Now there's one person I'm not going to miss!" She joked to herself and then started to walk away from Isabella. "You should go to him, Princess. He tends to get really aggravated if he's kept waiting for too long… Don't worry, you'll get used to him."

"Princess? Princess? Oh, where on gods is that girl?"

By the time Johan finally found Isabella she was already alone. That was the first and the last time she spoke to Hitomi Kanzaki, seeress of the Mystic Moon. By the following morning both hers and Van's lives were forever changed.

* * *

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Just in case you've found the above chapter a tad depressing, here is a little drabble that I wrote awhile back, that might lighten your mood a bit (...or not lol). I had already posted it (as chapter 8) but since it's not really a 'chapter' and it doesn't fit anywhere in the story now I took it down and I'm posting here instead. It's rather pointless, it doesn't really have a plot and I was obviously high on something when I wrote it so pardon any grammar mistakes or random cheesiness. Enjoy!

* * *

It was the bright sunlight that woke her up. As soon as she turned on her side in bed, exposing her face to the shiny rays, sleep left her in a heartbeat. Hitomi slowly opened her eyes to the new day, still groggy and dazed. Stretching her arms with languor, she muffled a yawn in her pillow and quickly rolled over so that her back faced the open windows.

It was with surprise that she found the space beside her empty; only the wrinkled sheets and crumpled pillows remaining as evidence that she had indeed not slept alone in the large bed that night.

She lifted her head just a bit to be able to scan the bedroom for any signs of its former occupant and soon enough was able to spot him, already fully dressed in royal gear, sitting quietly behind his desk and completely engrossed in the documents he was reading.

There was a deep frown on his forehead, as his eyes went through whatever was written in them and every so often he would grimace and shake his head in perceivable disapproval. That could only mean one thing... He was reading his pestering advisors' reports about the peace conference again.

Argh…Couldn't those annoying old men take one step without consulting him for a change? They bothered him about every single, measly detail of the ongoing conference; from the appointment of daily meetings with other political leaders, to the sitting arrangements at the state dinners. Oh, who cared?... Couldn't those idiots realize they were wearing him out with all their idiotic questions?

"Hey you." She called out, just loud enough to reach his ears.

At the sound of her sluggish voice, he immediately lifted his eyes from the voluminous stash of papers in his hands. "Morning!" He said with a crooked smile that nearly made her insides melt. Even tired he still managed to look incredibly seductive. Damn him!

"Come back to bed, Van." She moaned tiredly and covered her head with the heavy quilt in an attempt to prevent the bright light from stealing away her remaining drowsiness. "What are you doing up already anyway?"

Her unusual idleness made him chuckle. "Already, you say? I've been up for the last three hours."

Hitomi's head popped out from under the quilt. "What? What time is it?" She asked, suddenly confused.

"Almost noon." He replied, clearly amused.

She sat up in bed so fast she felt dizzy. "_What_? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Had he forgotten they didn't exactly have all the time in the world to be together? Every moment she spent with him was precious to her, and she would rather spend the moments he was awake, _also_ awake with him.

Van placed the ream of papers on top of a pile of already signed and approved documents on the desk and slowly made his way toward her. "Oh, do you mean you actually wanted to attend the 'boring' and 'completely unnecessary' morning meetings with me?... That's what you usually called them, right?... Don't tell me I finally got you to get interested in state affairs? What a triumph!" He retorted on the brink of laughter.

His little joke didn't go down too well with her. "Very funny." She muttered sarcastically. Yes, she did find his meetings and everything discussed in them atrociously boring. But who wouldn't, really? To be stuck in a room for hours surrounded by decrepit, unpleasant man who argued insensately with each other over _nothing_most of the time, was an assault to anyone's sanity. And Hitomi even suspected Van himself partly agreed with her, but of course, being the stubborn, pigheaded man he was, he would never bring himself to admit it to her.

She was still narrowing her eyes at him in obvious displeasure as he slumped in bed right beside her. Her discontentment was short lived though. One look at his royal attire and her mind went blank. She had to admit, his tailor did do an impeccable job at dressing him up. The dark shirt and jacket he wore clung to him like a second skin, making every woman he came across no doubt crave the chance to know every inch of skin hiding beneath them.

And that damn unruly hair of his. It just made her want to… Well, no wonder he was being chased after by every excuse of a princess attending the peace conference... Alright, now she was being mean. Not _all_ of them were ill intentioned (well, _one_ of them at least), but really… did he have to be so good-looking? It made the job of being his girlfriend a really tough one.

The look of frustration he caught in her eyes as she looked down at him made him laugh. Van knew exactly what was going through her mind. Hitomi had been having somewhat of a hard time controlling her jealousy ever since Fanelia had been invaded by young, eligible women. He propped himself up on his elbows and lightly kissed her shoulder, smiling apologetically as he spoke. "I didn't wake you, because you spent most of the night awake throwing up. You needed the time to rest this morning."

The sudden memory of the previous hours made her stomach churn. She let herself fall back on her pillow, holding her throat in her hands. "Thanks for reminding me."

"So, are you feeling any better?"

Noticing his deeply concerned expression she tried her best to assure him of her good health. "I'm fine. It was just indigestion, I guess." She shrugged casually trying to dismiss any worries, but it was obvious by the way he kept staring at her that Van was not convinced at all. "I'm telling you _I'm_ _fine now_. Besides, I was already fine after the… fifth time."

"_Fifth_ time?! Wait…Did you throw up again while I was sleeping?"

Whoops! "Ugh…no."

The fact that she kept avoiding eye contact with him was proof enough of her lie. Without uttering another word, Van jumped to his feet and made his way toward the bedroom door in a quick pace.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To fetch a physician. That's not normal, Hitomi. You need to be checked out."

"What? You're going to get a physician to come _here_?... _Now_?...Oh, please go ahead Van! I'll love to hear you try to explain to him why exactly there is a half naked woman in _your_ bed."

The shift in his reaction was immediate. He quickly stopped his resolute stride and looked back at her wide-eyed, probably remembering for the first time she was not that much clothed under the heavy quilt. The blush that crept to his cheeks then was so deep that she had to cover her mouth with her hand to avoid having him see her grin. Incredible. Even after almost four years together he still managed to act so shy around her. That damn stiff royal upbringing of his!

"You… do… have a point about that." Van admitted, coughing lightly in a not so successful attempt to disguise the sheepish tone in his voice. His eyes suddenly fell on a large package resting at the foot of his bed and, seizing the opportunity to change the subject, he picked it up and soon enough was placing it on her lap.

Hitomi eyed the elaborate green bow wrapping the package with noticeable curiosity. "What's this?"

Van grinned at her; the red tint on his cheeks finally gone. "Just a little something I picked up for you… Come on, open it."

She stared in silence at the large package for a few seconds. A gift? He'd bought a gift for her? She had a hard time controlling her excitement as she fought with the elaborate bow to open it. When she did, she gasped in awe. Never had she seen something so stunning in her life. Layers and layers of the finest pale green silk lay before her eyes. "It's beautiful, Van… Thank you!"

Her wide smile made his grin increase. "You're welcome!" He exclaimed content, but then her smile turned to something else. "W-Why are you laughing?"

"'Cause it's a…it's a…it's a ball gown, Van. A _ball gown_." A new wave of laughter prevented her from finishing her thoughts. She noticed her boyfriend's sudden grimace and tried to calm herself down, albeit with major effort. "No, seriously Van, it is beautiful, but… what use could _I _possibly have for a ball gown?"

Van's characteristic deep frown appeared on his forehead again. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at her with an odd expression. "Well, I'll admit I'm not the world's biggest expert in female fashion, but I was under the impression women wear ball gowns when they attend _balls_."

Her good-humour vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She held the gown up in her arms and a sudden chill crept up her spine. "No way!... You're not suggesting you want me to-"

"-attend tonight's ball? Yes, that is exactly what I'm suggesting." He admitted with a broad smile.

"Are you mental, Van Fanel?"

"Oh, come on Hitomi. Why not? The ballroom will be filled with foreign people. Half of which don't even know each other. You'll be perfectly safe. No one will suspect who you are." He argued in a low, attractive voice. The one he knew she couldn't say no to.

But still she shook her head unconvinced. "I don't know…You're advisors might-"

"Oh, to hell with my advisors! For once I'm not going to play by their rules. Besides…" He paused then and she noticed he started fidgeting a little. "You know I'll be forced to dance at the ball tonight…" Van muttered somewhat discontent. He hated dancing; no surprise about that. He pulled a hand through his unruly hair; dark bangs covering his eyes from view as he continued in a low voice. "I was hoping you might want to…"

What was that red tone on his cheeks all of a sudden? Was he blushing again? "You know... I was just hoping you might want to… dance with me tonight. You have more right to it than any other woman attending the ball, after all… and it _would_ make the evening immensely more bearable for me if you were there with me…Please." He breathed, leaning toward her.

She couldn't find it in her to say no to him. How could she? The man had her wrapped around his fingers. If he only knew! One puppy-eyed look from him was more than enough to break through her defences. Who said being in love didn't make you weak? But she had to admit, the prospect of having the chance to be with him in front of so many people and not be worried about someone suspecting the nature of their relationship for a change, was more than tantalizing; and sent a flurry of butterflies to her stomach.

Hitomi had a hard time disguising her joy as she answered him. "Ok, fine. You win. I'll go."

He jumped in bed so quickly that she didn't realize what was happening until she felt the soft touch of his lips on hers; his sweet summery scent that she so adored finally engulfing her. "Thank you." He said simply; all his gratitude poured into those two little words. "But you are going to the physician first." He told her matter-of-factly; his face grave. "I want to know what's wrong with you."

Oh, what a way to spoil the mood. Hitomi groaned in exasperation. "_Nothing_.is.wrong.with.me. It was just ind-"

"If I remember correctly from a certain _someone_attending Medical School, indigestions do not take days to go away. You _are_going to the physician's office Hitomi, even if I have to drag you there myself." He told her firmly.

She rolled her eyes. There was really no winning with him. She might as well comply; otherwise she would never hear the end of it. She crossed her arms not making a single effort to conceal her annoyance. "Fine! But it'll be just a waste of time. I'm perfectly alright now."

She wasn't looking at him at the moment, her pride wouldn't allow it, and so she failed to notice the mischievous smile that suddenly lit up his face. "Are you, really?"

The husky tone in his voice was what made her look back at him. "Yes…" She replied cautiously. "What's with that face, Van?" And that strange sparkle in his eyes…

He chuckled and slowly leaned down to press his lips to her neck. "Oh, nothing… I was just thinking I have the next two hours of my schedule completely free." Her heart skipped a beat at his words and as his lips brushed softly against the bare skin of her shoulders she felt her body heat up instantly. How shamelessly it always reacted to his caresses. As soon as he touched her, it was like she lost all control over it. Not that she minded much.

His kisses were like a drug in that way. Pure ecstasy that always made her lose track of time and reality. As his tender attack on her increased, she was left in a daze; her mind blocking every coherent thought and she couldn't care less. "What _are_ you going to do with your time, then?" She asked, playing along with his act; her voice no louder than a whisper.

When he looked back at her with that same irresistible grin in his lips, she realized his burgundy eyes had darkened profusely with desire. "Oh, I'll think of something." He teased, before kissing her fully on the lips. And then ever so gently, pulled the quilt away from her.

The End (of the scene, not the story. I'll leave the rest of the scene to your imaginations lol)


	8. Chapter 8

**Beyond Dawn**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

It was not like Hitomi had never experienced any awkward moments before in her life. Of course she had. In fact, she'd experienced so many of them that 'Awkwardness' could very well be her middle name. But her present situation, she had to admit, was by far the weirdest, most dreadful _and_ most awkward she'd experienced in a long, _long_ time.

She was doomed. Oh yes, there was no better word to describe her impending future. She might as well bid adieu to the peaceful and happy life she'd carefully constructed for herself over the past five years. In just a few minutes her world would undoubtedly be turned upside down.

And never mind the fact that her supposed best-friend had decided to choose that precise moment in her life to bail out on her. Of course 'best-friend' was probably not the correct way to refer to the red-haired anymore. Because as soon as Yukari Uchida had artfully decided to sprint out of her house leaving her completely alone with _him _and her son, she had been immediately labelled a 'traitor'. Her traitorous act would not be short of vengeful retribution however. Hitomi would make sure of that! Now if she could only manage to start breathing normally again…

In truth, if someone were to ask her to recall in detail the events of the last hour, she wasn't sure she could. How she had actually been able to cook dinner, set the table and sit down to eat without neither Van nor her son realising she was about to have a panic attack, was truly beyond her.

She did have a faint idea of nodding when Van had asked her something awhile ago, and right after that she remembered hearing her brother's altered voice. That was when Yukari had made up some idiotic excuse to leave and had quickly dragged Hitomi's very confused sibling out of the door with her.

The next thing she recalled was the heavy silence. Neither of them had said a word for what felt like a lifetime. She couldn't take her eyes off of him; he couldn't take his eyes off of the little boy in front of him.

The situation was bleak indeed and to her complete chagrin, her four-year-old son was the one to break the ice. True to his curious nature, Takeru didn't lose any time in bombarding the unfamiliar dark-haired man with countless questions. Hitomi thought for sure she was going to have a heart attack. Her mind was desperately trying to come up with some ingenious plan to get her and her son out of that dreaded situation, but then something Takeru said made Van laugh, and the smile that appeared on his face, that perfect smile she hadn't seen in years, made her heart clench.

She stared at her son, happily chatting away with Van and couldn't find the courage in her to break them apart. The truth was they deserved to have that moment; even if at the time they were nothing but strangers to each other. Even if it only lasted for a little while, they did deserve that moment together; probably the only one they would ever have. She owed it to her son… and to his father as well.

Fortunately enough for her Takeru seemed to keep his questions quite simple, which was also a relief to Van, who hadn't yet had the need to come up with some whole complicated story about where exactly he had come from or what was it he was doing in their home. For the most part, he kept his eyes on the little boy, scanning his face as if he was trying to find something familiar in it, but every so often he would turn to catch a glimpse of Hitomi and she could easily sense his stare burning with the questions he wouldn't dare ask the child.

They had been sitting at the kitchen table for quite sometime now, finishing the meal Hitomi had nearly burned twice due to her quivering nerves and still Takeru persisted in his questioning. She was very much aware she'd only said about half-a-dozen short sentences since calling them both to dinner, but her state of anxiety was just too overwhelming for her to simply barge in on their merry conversation.

Instead, she took advantage of Van's apparent distraction toward her to psychoanalyse every slightest change in his expression, but despite the instant surges of panic Hitomi felt every time her son opened his mouth to ask a new question, Van seemed as oblivious of the real scenario as when he'd first laid eyes on the little boy. If anything, he appeared to be as innocently curious in Takeru as Takeru was in him. Oh, how she wished she could know what was going through his mind!

"Wow! Really? You're a pilot?" Her son's eyes widened in delight. "Mommy, he's a pilot! Do you fly jet planes? Do you? Do you? I'm gonna fly jet planes when I grow up!"

The child's enthusiasm made Van chuckle. "Well… I don't really know what jet planes are, but I'm pretty sure I fly something much better."

Hitomi nearly chocked on her food and Takeru frowned. "_Really_?! What do you fly then?"

"Well I-"

"Ok, that's enough!" She quickly cut in; her panic finally forcing her to take action. "Um… we really should let our guest rest a little from the questioning session, ok Takeru?" She said, winking at him. "He… kind of had a tough couple of days so-"

"I don't mind." Van quickly assured her; the joyful tone in his voice surprising her. "I think I've been through tougher interrogations. I'm pretty confident I can handle this one." He added, clearly amused by the situation.

She stared into his unsuspecting eyes and felt a sudden jolt of pain in her heart. His manner and speech were so different from when he'd spoken to her that afternoon. There were no more traces left of that icy, stern demeanour he'd shown her. It was like he was being a different person!

No… he wasn't being a different person, he was being himself again. He was being _Van_! The Van she only remembered from distant memories; memories which she tried with great difficulty to forget. The kind, easygoing Van who was always polite and attentive to other people, and especially to young children.

One would never imagine it, but the king of Fanelia actually had a soft spot for kids. She'd often wondered, while they had been together, if that wasn't due to the fact that he'd lost his parents at such a young age. Being forced to assume a great deal of responsibility early on, he practically didn't have much of a childhood. His unique situation had in turn made him develop a natural tendency to always protect and help the young and _that _was one of the many reasons why Hitomi had always thought he would make a great father someday.

Not surprisingly her thoughts only succeeded in increasing her uneasiness. Unable to stare at Van any longer she lowered her eyes to her empty plate, hoping he wouldn't notice the deep blush she could sense was beginning to warm her cheeks.

Her state of anxiety didn't last too long after that though. Ingeniously fending off the more compromising conversation topics between Van and her son she did eventually get little Takeru to grow tired of his own game and soon enough he was pleading for her to let him go to his playroom, which she swiftly conceded.

The mix of relief and guilt she felt as she saw her son disappear behind the kitchen doorway was so overwhelming it took her a few seconds to realise Van was laughing. "He's funny." He finally said, after the room went silent again. "He…He looks like you." He added in a more serious tone; his attention now fully back on her.

Hitomi gulped. She tried to make her voice sound as natural as possible. "Y-Yeah, I know. Everyone says he's my splitting image…So h-how are you feeling? You should really go back to b- "

"I'm fine. I heal fast." What a liar. It was so easy to notice how he flinched in pain as he shrugged. "Takeru is four, right?" Van continued nonetheless; his own curiosity hard to conceal. "He's very clever for his age."

"Yeah, he is…and quite the troublemaker too." Hitomi smiled nervously. "W-What? What is it?" She asked after noticing his sudden grave expression.

"Nothing… I just never thought you'd…Never mind." Van shook his head to dismiss whatever idea was going through it. "…It's sort of strange that I'm able to understand him though, isn't it? I didn't understand a word your brother or Yukari said…But I guess maybe that's because he is _your_ son." He mused. It made sense to him that way, but how strange he felt saying those words! '…_your _son'. Hitomi had a _son_. _His _Hitomi had a son.

No, no, she was not his anymore. She had someone else in her life. She'd had someone else for a very long time. There was no way he could forget that; it was carved in his memory like a scar. And yet, as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't seem to feel as indifferent about it as he really cared to. Specially now; with her that close to him again. How strange!

"And here I was thinking Merle was the only one of the old bunch to have a child." He mentioned; more to push away his stubborn thoughts than anything else.

"_What?!_ Merle has a child?!"

Her shocked expression made the corner of Van's mouth twitch in amusement. "She has…Merle settled down a couple of years ago with a young captain from my army." He frowned for a moment. "They've actually dated behind my back for quite awhile. Well either way, they're daughter was born late last year… Her name is Niah and she's as terrible to deal with as her mother, I'm afraid."

Hitomi slumped her back against the chair completely bewildered. _Merle_? Annoying, hyperactive Merle was a mother? Oh, she definitely didn't see that one coming. Who could have guessed? She actually had something in common with the irritating cat-woman now? She and Merle where the only ones… What?

It was only then that Hitomi realised the unspoken implication in his comment. "W-Wait…" She stammered, surprised. "D-Does that mean you…"

Van shook his head again and then smiled a little. "Not that my council doesn't pester me incessantly about it... They've actually started to take turns as of late to give me the 'heir speech', as they call it… Johan is definitely the most annoying one!" He grimaced and Hitomi actually managed to let out a laugh. Leave it to that old bastard to be the worst of them all!

Van's seemingly good humour didn't last long though. There was a strange look on his face when he spoke again. "Well, they can pester me all they want. It's not like I can really give them what they're asking for." He muttered; his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Hitomi's confused look clearly asked for him to elaborate on his cryptic comment, but it was easy to notice by Van's glum expression that he had revealed more than he'd really cared to.

He pulled a hand through his hair and suddenly got up from his seat. "Nothing…" He said, albeit clearly upset with something. "Never mind what I said… I should… I should go now…Where did you put my sword? I couldn't find it in the room I stayed in."

"It's in a safe place…" She answered, more than a little surprised by his sudden mood swing.

"Could you please go get it? And the pendant… I'm going to need it." It sounded more like a demand than a request really.

Hitomi sighed. She'd been afraid he'd go back to that subject again. "I'm not going to give the pendant to you, Van. I've told you already you're not going anywhere until your wounds heal."

"And I've told _you_, I'm fine." He retorted impatiently all of a sudden. "Now where's the pendant?"

"Oh, really? You're 'fine', are you?" She repeated ironically as she came to stand in front of him.

"…_Yes_."

"Oh, so it won't hurt if I do this then…" She said and slapped his arm right where she knew the worst wound was located, making Van immediately hiss in pain.

"Will you stop doing that?... I can't stay here, Hitomi!"

"I'm aware of that. But I'm not letting you go back to Gaea covered in bandages. I know you, Van Fanel! You'll just throw yourself right back into the war without a second thought. You need to rest otherwise-"

"I can't stay _here_…" He finally confessed, turning around so he wasn't forced to face her. "I can't stay with _you_."

His words and tone caught her off guard. She wasn't really sure what to make of his remark. "…Van, if it's because we once-"

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Look, I can handle seeing you again... And the gods know why I can even handle seeing you with a child... but I don't think I'll be able to handle seeing you with anyone else... So don't ask me to stay here if there's a chance that will happen."

His frank confession stunned her. She was at a loss for words. She knew exactly what that 'anyone else' meant and as a result the battle raging on inside her head was driving her insane. Suddenly half of her wanted to drag him upstairs to Takeru's playroom and tell him that that cheerful little boy who loved flying above all things was his; the other half though was stubbornly clinging on to the oath she'd made all those years ago and that unknowingly to him had saved his life. Would he still be ok if she broke it? Or would she be endangering both him and their son as well?

"You know, it would be a lot easier for me to argue with you if you didn't look so gloomy." He joked, in an attempt to lighten the heavy mood. "You were never much fun to argue with when you're like that."

"Van, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, Hitomi. It's alright... Just let me go."

"No, it's not alright. I-"

But before she had the chance to say anymore the high-pitched sound of the front door's doorbell reached their ears, followed by a very familiar knock on the front door.

Hitomi froze instantly. Her palms started to tingle with fury. So the 'traitor' had decided to return. And right on the worst possible time. For a few seconds she toyed with the idea of leaving her former best-friend at the mercy of the thunderstorm raging outside, but then she figured she could probably do more damage to the red-haired herself. "I'll be right back. Just…stay here." She told Van, before marching out of the room with fierce determination.

"Yukari Uchida," Hitomi muttered under her breath as she yanked the front door open a few seconds later. "prepare yourself to d-"

She didn't finish her threat though. The deep brown eyes that came to her view didn't belong to Yukari after all. They belonged to someone entirely different; someone she wasn't expecting to see at all.

"R-Ryo!?"

Her more than obvious stunned reaction to the young doctor's unexpected visit made him blush ever so slightly. "Oh hey… Hitomi." He greeted sheepishly.

She immediately opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She was way too befuddled to think properly, let alone speak. What on earth was he doing there?

"Um… I hope I'm not bothering." Ryo started, clearly embarrassed by now. "One of the nurses at the hospital told me you called in sick yesterday… Um…I tried calling your cell-phone to see how you were doing, but you didn't answer and well… since your house is on my way home, I thought I might drop by to see if everything was ok." The red on his cheeks suddenly got worse. "Um… here. These are for you." That was when she noticed the bouquet of lilies in his hands. Oh no, he'd bought her flowers. And not just any flowers. Her favourite ones!

Hitomi felt like hitting her head against a wall. What a horrible, horrible person she was. In order to tend to Van without raising concerns about her absence at the hospital she'd told an innocent lie. But never in a million years could she ever predict Ryo would appear at her doorstep. Great! Yet another man being shamefully deceived by her.

"So is everything ok with you? You look tired." He placed his hand against her forehead to feel the temperature. "Is it the flu?" He asked concerned.

Hitomi grabbed his wrist and gently pulled his hand away. "I'm fine Ryo. It's nothing to worry about. Thanks for the flowers and… everything. You always worry way too much about me. I really don't deserve it."

Ryo stroked her cheek with the back of his free hand; his voice as gentle as his touch when he spoke to her again. "Yes you do, Hitomi."

Just when she started to feel her eyes begin to water up, she heard a squeal coming from behind her and soon enough little Takeru ran right past her and threw himself on the brunet man's legs. "Hello." He cheerfully said.

Ryo bent down to ruffle Takeru's hair. "Hey, how's my favourite patient? Staying away from trees I hope."

"Huh..." Was the child's guilty reply.

Maybe it was the fact Ryo wasn't looking at her at that moment or maybe it was just the odd feeling that came over Hitomi all of the sudden that made her glance behind her back. The only thing she was sure of was that when she did she felt like her heart had just stopped.

Van was leaning against the doorway, just as he had that afternoon, staring straight at Ryo; at Takeru; at her. At the three of them _together_. And this time Hitomi didn't need to guess what was going through his mind. The pained look on his face was proof enough of his thoughts. The hurtful memories from long ago were no doubt beginning to resurface.

His eyes only locked with hers for a brief second. He turned his back on them and walked away before he had the chance to see the first tears escape her eyes.

* * *

As soon as Dryden signed his name bellow his wife's on the long piece of parchment, he threw it dejectedly toward the other side of the table. For the first time in his life he felt like he had just sold his soul.

"Now your highness, there is no need for such a display of animosity." King Ulrich said as he picked up the discarded document. "After all, as of this moment we are _allies_. We should behave accordingly, shouldn't we?" He added with a grin.

Visibly angered, the king of Asturia slammed his fist against his marble desk. "Don't kid yourself, Ulrich. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to throw you out of the window this very instant."

"Dryden." Millerna pleaded beside him; the soft touch of her hand on his shoulder instantly soothing his rage.

The old monarch nonetheless snickered at the young king. "I find it interesting that you feel that way, King Fassa. After all, coming from such an important, well-travelled, mercena- I mean influential family, you above all others should comprehend the necessity of my actions." He then turned his attention to Millerna. "Fortunately, Asturia does seem to have _one_ reasonable monarch at least. It was a pleasure doing business with you, milady."

"Why you…I'll show you _reasonable_!" Dryden hissed under his breath; his hands clenching into tight fists.

Millerna's grip on his shoulder tightened immediately. "Dryden!" She pleaded more forcefully; although a part of her, she was forced to admit, wouldn't mind one bit if her husband just went ahead and punched the unscrupulous old man in the face.

As soon as Dryden assured her his temper was under control she turned to the Egzardian king, who had already gotten up from the seat in front of them. "I expect that you'll keep your end of the bargain this time, King Ulrich."

"Oh yes, of course. I am a man of my word." He chose to ignore Dryden's sarcastic grunt and continued. "All hostile activities from my troops toward your country will cease immediately and I shall personally give the orders for the release of any Asturian war prisoners." He grinned yet again. "Although you shouldn't really expect to see a great number of soldiers back… Not that many actually survived our attacks, you see."

This time it was Millerna who had to bite her lip to prevent from cursing at him. "…And your course of action toward Fanelia?" She inquired apprehensively. "What do you intend to do?"

"To take over the country, of course! Given that my daughter is now the sole monarch responsible for Fanelia's affairs, it's only fitting that I, as her father, should take that heavy burden from her hands, don't you think?" He noticed the sullen faces of the young couple and smiled affectedly. "Oh yes, now I remember, you were good friends with my son-and-law, were you not?... I do have to say he did cause me quite a few headaches, but he _was_ a worthy opponent. Why I'll admit it's almost a pity he's dead! This war will no doubt be rather dull without him."

Dryden's eyes narrowed into slits. "May I remind you, _Ulrich_. His body was not found. He has _not_ been pronounced dead yet."

The elder man stopped short of the exit door and shrugged, unconcerned. "Yes, I suppose you are correct. But with all due respect King Fassa, I did drop a bomb on his head. And even _if_ he did manage to somehow survive, I assure you… it'll _not_ be for long." And with that deadly promise lingering in the air, he left the room.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away from Asturia, in the catacombs of Egzardia's royal palace, a dim place only a few people knew even existed, Millard de Zardia, chief advisor to the country's royal council, stood perfectly still amongst the last remnants of the bright pillar of light that just seconds ago had consumed the dark room.

He stared perplexed at the empty space that not long before had been occupied by a small group of soldiers. There was no sign of them left. It was like they had disappeared into thin air. As if a magic trick had been performed, Millard had been left alone in the room.

His only other companion was the colossal atlantean machine his king had acquired from their most recent raid of Zaibach's capital city. It was still glowing, although not as brightly as it had when it'd conjured the pillar of transportation. The remaining glow was now only due to the pink energist still twirling in its centre; Escaflowne's energist.

Folded in Millard's vest pocket was the message his king had left him, before departing for Asturia to claim yet another victory. In it were the detailed orders he had been obliged to convey to the soldiers before they'd left on their most crucial mission. For some strange reason though, Millard felt concerned, very much so. He kept recalling a curious part of King Ulrich's last minute recommendations to him.

"_Make sure they bring the child with them__ as well."_

"_Child, sir? What child? I thought your interest lay exclusively with the seeress. Isn't she the key to the Fate Alteration Machine?"_

"_Yes she is, Millard. But I want her child as well... It's about time I rid the universe of all Fanels!"_

'…_her child_…' and '…_all Fanels_…' he had said. Did his king know something no one else knew? Could it be that…Was it possible?!

Well, he'd heard the stories. Who hadn't? The tales of how _their_ love for each other had saved the world from destruction were now legendary. Countless books had been published over the course of the past nine years detailing how the deep feelings they shared for one another had been able to end the awful Destiny War, injecting at the same time much needed hope back into the lives of those who needed it the most.

The two of them were almost revered. That's why so many people grieved when the young king decided to send the seeress back to her home planet. To some it almost seemed sacrilegious to turn ones back on such deep love.

It was around that time that the stories started to emerge a little all throughout Gaea. Mainly folktales conjured by those with eager minds to entertain the likes of small children and perhaps even the hearts of hopeless romantics.

People talked of strange pillars of light appearing every so often in the Fanelian skies. Some said it was the seeress returning to Gaea to visit her loved one in secrecy. Others claimed it was the young king himself who, unable to bear the long distance separating them, would flee to the Mystic Moon on clear nights just to spend a few hours in his lover's arms.

Mere folktales or not, no one would ever know the real truth. The stories vanished as quickly as they had appeared as soon as the young king got wed to the Egzardian princess. But if that was due to respect toward the newly formed royal couple or just to the fact that the strange pillars of light were never again seen across the skies, was yet another mystery.

One thing Millard was certain however. Something very grave had happened to King Van a few years ago; something truly life shattering. Because it was a deeply heartbroken young man the one who had signed that marriage treaty with Egzardia during that long ago forgotten peace conference. If there was one thing he would never forget about Fanelia's king it had to be the deep hurt look on his eyes as he signed away his future and freedom for good. And that was what made Millard often wonder if there wasn't the tiniest bit of veracity in all that collective wishful thinking…

But a child?…A Fanel child? A sudden chill went up the old advisor's spine. "_Their _child?!... I wonder! Can it be possible Fanelia has an heir after all? Can it be possible there is indeed still hope for Gaea?"

* * *

So… Van doesn't seem to think even for a minute that Takeru might be his (…weird). Ulrich, on the other hand, knows that Hitomi's child is a Fanel (which is even weirder…). Asturia is now Egzardia's ally. Ulrich is about to take over Fanelia and…oh yes, that's right… there's a small army of soldiers on their way to Earth to kidnap Hitomi... What a mess of a plot!! lolol

Oh, and to answer one pressing question – No, Takeru doesn't look like Van at all. He's a total Hitomi 'mini-me'; sandy blond hair, green eyes, pale skin.

And about Van's comment about not being able to give his council what they're asking for…that doesn't mean what you probably think it means (at least not in the way you're most likely thinking huh I hope that made sense)


	9. Chapter 9

****

Beyond Dawn

**Chapter 9**

* * *

General Takeshi was not in high-spirits. Truth be told, so were none of his fellow council members. It was plainly obvious by their distressed faces that they would much rather be discussing some other matter entirely than the one currently at hand.

And it didn't help their moods either that the emergency meeting they were partaking in had been dragging on forever. Takeshi himself had lost track of time quite awhile ago. He was sure though, that when he'd entered the stuffy council room, it had been the warm sunlight and not the bleak luminescence of the twin moons he now saw, that had bathed the large windows around him.

His back had begun to hurt again, clearly demanding a fresh dose of painkillers, but the general chose to ignore the discomfort. A little pain never did anyone any harm after all and considering the state some of his soldiers had been left in, due to Egzardia's deceitful attack, he could very well consider himself one of the lucky ones. If anything, he would probably be left with a couple of scars to add to his personal collection.

Pushing away the fatigue that nonetheless threatened to win him over, Takeshi shifted slightly on his over-sized chair just as Hideki Andou, one of the youngest (and most irritable) counsellors, started to quarrel with another one of his colleagues.

The general sighed. They were all tired… Tired from fighting, tired from arguing, tired from trying to come up with some miraculous plan that could save them from the dreaded outcome they knew was rapidly approaching… Well, they could be left bickering with each other until the world ended; Takeshi knew very well no viable solution could be reached. Only one man could save them from their predicament now and they weren't even sure if he was still alive.

He glanced sideways toward the only remaining unoccupied chair surrounding the round table; by far the biggest and most ornate of them all. It was dreary to see it empty; to imagine that just weeks ago their king had sat there in all his bravery announcing his plans to fight against the king of Egzardia's tyranny... Even worse though was the uncertainty that emptiness carried with it. The destiny of a whole country currently balanced on a stressful doubt. Did their brave king still walk among the living?

Takeshi wasn't the only one having such thoughts of course. Every so often he would catch a glimpse of one of the other council members looking at their king's vacant seat just as he did. Those were the times when their distress would show itself more clearly. For a fleeting moment, one could almost read their gloomy minds.

And although the forlorn looks on their faces wouldn't last long after they would resume their senseless bickering, one man's glum demeanour seemed to remain unaltered. Chief advisor Johan, famously known for his extravagant and over alarming antics had barely said a word all throughout the meeting. In fact, he'd barely said a word ever since the general had informed him of their king's strange disappearance.

Sitting on his appointed seat right next to the king's, slightly hunched and visibly pale, the counsellor looked remarkably aged and haggard. He hardly even lifted his head anymore to try to impose some much needed order in the room every time one of his colleagues would raise their voices beyond reasonable levels; which in normal circumstances would happen in a blink of an eye.

This left Takeshi very much intrigued. He was about to address the old advisor when the altercation between the two other council members suddenly became worse as everyone else around the table started to take sides… The noise became unbearable.

Quickly loosing whatever thin line of patience he still had left, the general jumped off of his chair. "Silence!" He yelled above them all. "Enough with this nonsensical bickering! Get a hold of yourselves, gentlemen."

His angry remark seemed to do the trick; not a sound could be heard around the room as a result, but the general wasn't done talking yet. "Now, we can all stay here and continue debating the statistical probabilities of our king returning to us safe and sound, but quite frankly, I don't think even his highness would feel very proud of us if we wasted our time doing so… What we need now is a defence strategy and by that, counsellors, I mean - we need to buy us some more time."

"And how does the esteemed general propose we do that?" Hideki inquired; an obvious hint of sarcasm in his voice. "When King Ulrich is on his way toward Fanelia, as we speak, with his entire army force with the sole intent of overthrowing us?... As hard as it is for me to say this, it is perhaps for the best that we should start discussing the terms of Fanelia's surrender."

The tumult of voices that immediately followed the young counsellor's statement was so violent that it was hard to perceive whether his words were received with more approval or contestation.

"Silence!" The general yelled again. "I know very well Fanelia's situation is not the best at the moment counsellor, but I'll be dammed if I'm to discuss such matters while there is still hope for our country…" He took a short pause to catch his breath and continued in a calmer tone. "All we have to do is hold our ground until King Van-"

"King Van is dea-"

"King Van is _missing_! And as long as there is a chance that he is still alive and well, than I'll fight for the throne that is rightfully his." Takeshi placed his palms over the surface of the hard wooden table and faced each one of his fellow council members with a defying stare. "Be brave, men! We owe it to our king; to every sacrifice he's ever done for us, for his people. It is the least we can do for him, because I assure you… if he is indeed unharmed somewhere he'll do everything in his power to return to us and end this bloody conflict for good. He would never abandon Fanelia to its fate… so let us not abandon him…"

For a brief couple of seconds a heavy silence took over the room. Then, as if a small wave of hope had washed over the premises, some of the counsellors started to nod in agreement, some others started to clap their hands in enthusiasm, and soon enough the majority were cheering the general's words.

"Good, good." He said, quite relieved himself the mood appeared to had shifted considerably. "Now listen up. We need to act quickly and contact our allies."

"Oh, and what allies are those?" Hideki's pessimistic attitude hadn't ceased yet apparently. "Our northern borders have already been attacked this morning by Zaibach's troops. We are surrounded, general! Our allies are not _our_ allies anymore… Why I'm surprised Asturia hasn't attacked us yet too."

This time the counterattack didn't come from the general. "Rest assured counsellor Hideki, there won't be any ill actions from Asturia toward Fanelia." Every one turned around too see a tall blond man enter the council room with a quick and steady pace. "Despite the _regrettable_ circumstances in which my country was _forced_ to switch sides in this war, our friendship shall not be tainted." Allen firmly stated. "And as proof of that, and having just received the blessings from my Queen and King, I come here to offer Fanelia my services and that of my men and airship… It'll be an honour for us to fight alongside your country once again."

"And your help shall be very much welcomed, knight Schezar. Thank you. Please join us, good friend." And as Allen made his way toward the table, Takeshi turned his attention back to the other men. "Now, as you might understand contacting our _true_, _remaining_ allies" (he was especially careful to emphasise his words as he looked to where Hideki was seated) "will take us some time, so we'll need to stall King Ulrich as much as possible… It has come to my understanding that he'll send a delegation ahead of him to discuss the terms of the marriage treaty between King Van and Queen Isabella in an attempt for a peaceful surrender… _That _just might be our chance."

As a reply, numerous murmurs of agreement were heard from the other members. "Counsellor Johan," Takeshi called out, turning around to face the old man. "I believe you were the one who oversaw the signing of the treaty… By what grounds will King Ulrich try to claim the throne for himself?"

The poor counsellor seemed so oddly aloof when he was spoken to all of a sudden, that he had a hard time focusing back on his surroundings. He nervously fumbled with a pile of papers in front of him until he found a small parchment. It was easy to see his hands shaking as he unfolded it. "W-well…" He started, voice shaking too. "the… t-treaty clearly states that in case our monarch…passes away or goes missing in the course of duty leaving no… h-heirs to carry on the family name, the regency of the country is to be given to the… Queen immediately."

"But that's good news, is it not?" One of the most stressed out council members acknowledged. "King Ulrich won't be able to claim any rights on the throne that way… It's true our Queen is his daughter, but all links with her birth family were cut when she wed King Van. She is Fanelian now, not Egzardian."

Johan unfolded yet another parchment from the pile of documents; his hands were still trembling. "Y-Yes, you are quite correct, but… there's something else." He gulped; his throat suddenly felt very dry. "The treaty also states that if the Queen is considered unsuited for the position… or in the event of her highness's death, than the regency of the kingdom is to be delivered to her immediate family…birth family that is…which in this case would be the King of Egzardia…"

"But…but Queen Isabella is alive and healthy! And she is certainly most capable for the job, don't you all agree?" The distraught counsellor inquired.

Takeshi didn't join the choir of approving voices. A dark suspicion suddenly began to cloud his mind. In the _'event of her highness's death'_, was it?... Could Ulrich be truly capable of attempting against his own daughter's life? The mere thought of it made the experienced general want to shudder. No one could be _that_ evil! And yet, the ominous suspicion wouldn't leave his thoughts.

"Where is the Queen now?" He asked urgently.

Allen was the one who answered him. "I believe she is still in her private study with Lady Merle. I paid her highness a short visit to communicate my decision to join your army just before I came here." His demeanour seemed to be quite calm and composed, but from the grave look on his eyes the general had the impression the blond knight was thinking exactly what he himself was.

"I'm afraid I'll have to impose on your friendship sooner than expected, knight Schezar. It is crucial that the Queen leaves Fanelia immediately." He ignored the gasps of surprise from his colleagues. "I wonder if you would be so kind as to take her highness back to the mountain shelters in the Crusade."

"Considerate it done. I'll go and inform the Queen." Allen stated and quickly left the room.

"As for you, gentlemen," Takeshi said gravely a moment later. "I want you to prepare immediately for the arrival of Egzardia's delegation. They mustn't suspect our actions. If they ask for an audience with the Queen, make up an excuse. I don't care which one! But they are in _no_ circumstance allowed to find out Queen Isabella will not be in the castle at the time… Furthermore, any negotiations they'll feel entitled to start will be mediated by me and chief counsellor Johan alone." There was a low grunt coming from Hideki's side of the table, but the general dismissed it. He had no time for petty quarrels. "Go now, all of you. Make the preparations. This meeting has lasted far too long."

His command was so fierce that twenty seconds later there was no one left in the stuffy council room apart from him and the old advisor, who continued to search through his papers in a very distressed manner.

"Is something troubling you, counsellor Johan?" The general finally asked. "You seem a little down… Are you ill by any chance?"

"Who me? On no, general." The elder man seemed even paler now than he did before though. "It's just that this whole war situation is very stressful… And o-our king's disappearance…Not knowing if…" He started fidgeting nervously all of a sudden which surprised Takeshi.

"Now counsellor, I can understand some of the other member's distress, but you above all others should have faith in our king. As his chief advisor you know his capabilities better than anyone." He paused for a moment and sighed. "I won't lie…I'm a little apprehensive about the whole situation myself, but if what the knight Schezar has told us is true, the pillar of light appeared before Egzardia's bomb went off. If its purpose wasn't to save the king's life, as it has done so many times in the past, than I don't know what purpose it had this time… So let us not loose hope, shall we?"

This time Takeshi's optimistic words had little effect on his audience. Johan hadn't stopped fidgeting at all. "…But even if his highness is still alive, his disappearance will undoubtedly make King Ulrich want to try to take advantage of the marriage treaty somehow…"

"Yes, I suppose our king should have never signed that damn treaty in the first place." The younger man frowned for a moment. "When you think about it though, it seems so unlike him to have agreed to such conditions… And as much as I respect his decision I can't help but wonder what was behind his decision to ally with Egzardia in such a way. I always thought he would… well, never mind, but his highness's engagement sure surprised everyone, remember?"

It was fortunate that the general, being caught up in his own thoughts, didn't pay much attention to Johan at the moment, because the latter man's complexion turned into a shade of ghostly white all of a sudden. The chief advisor started to pace around the room nervously; his hands behind his back. "Y-You must understand general," He stammered. "our… k-king's decision to wed the Egzardian princess was made in Fanelia's best interest. The resulting alliance with King Ulrich's country was most beneficial for us at the time. I… that is, _we_ could have never predicted this outcome…"

The anxious fidgeting increased, but Takeshi was too enwrapped in his musings to take proper notice of it. "Even so, this awful treaty…" He snickered. "At least now we know King Ulrich planned for our king's demise all along. Such cunning deceitfulness! He sure fooled us all."

"There might be a way to counter the treaty, general." Johan quickly added. "Even if our king is…" He let the silence speak for him. He couldn't bring himself to say the missing word anyway. It was only when he noticed Takeshi's confused expression that he resumed his speech. "Well… Egzardia can only claim Fanelia's regency in the absence of heirs… If Queen Isabella is by any chance with child…"

Takeshi puffed. For a moment there he actually thought he was going to hear the solution to their problems. "Hopeful that your little harassing 'heir-speeches' proved themselves fruitful, are you?... I really don't know how the king puts up with the lot of you most of the time!" He sighed tiredly and even though they were alone in the room, he lowered his voice considerably. "You know as well as I do that _that_ is most unlikely, counsellor… And even if some 'heir' magically appears out of nowhere now, which I almost wish it did, it will not have _our_ king's blood running through its veins."

"…I suppose so." Johan meekly agreed.

"Well then, enough with this conjectures. There's work to be done now." The general announced; the tone of his voice back to normal. "If you could please arrange the necessary documents for the upcoming negotiations, counsellor…" He requested, pointing to the pile of scattered papers over the wooden table.

Johan nodded in agreement and soon enough the general left the room. All alone with his demons, it didn't take to long for the old counsellor's distress to take complete hold of him. Fearing the little strength he had left on his legs would fail him, he let himself fall on the plush seat in front of one of the largest windows.

He slowly took a hand to one of his pockets and pulled out a small envelope. As a result, his hand immediately began to tremble again. Carefully, he unfolded the long piece of paper the envelope contained and stared at his own neat calligraphy for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The meticulously drawn lines of his beautiful handwriting were strangely appalling to him now, as he beheld that dreadful letter… the one that had started it all…but not before having _ended_ it all as well.

There were more letters, of course. Such situations are not ended or created with little correspondence after all, but most of them had been burned or destroyed long ago; it had been important not to leave any evidences at the time. That particular one though, the first one, had escaped unharmed. For years it had been apparently left forgotten among unimportant charts and other documents in some obscure corner of Johan's private office, only to magically re-appear at the beginning of the current war. At first he'd thought little of the odd find, although he was very much surprised by it, but now he knew its purpose. The infamous letter had survived with the sole intention to plague him… and rightfully so; to plague his ill decision and his attempt to meddle with faith.

He read the first few lines although there was hardly any need for it as by now he knew them by heart. His words carried such concern and yet such malice at the same time, he found it hard to believe he'd been the one to write them… How naïve he had been! How gullible and credulous of him to believe in that awful monarch; to believe he was filled with enough good intentions to justify betraying his own.

The current war and his king's disappearance were more than enough proof of how wrong he had been though … But was it already too late to make amends?

Ever so slowly Johan raised his eyes to the Mystic Moon, shining brightly among the star filled sky. He couldn't suppress his guilt any longer. "Forgive me, your highness... Forgive me, young lady." He muttered quietly; his voice shaking. "This is all my fault… Oh, what have I done? What have I done?"

His confession went unheard.

* * *

"Hitomi?"

The woman in front of him didn't reply. Actually, she didn't even seem to acknowledge she'd been spoken to.

"Hitomi, is something wrong?" He tried again.

"W-what?... No, of course not." She finally answered, albeit a little aloof. "What makes you think something's wrong, Ryo?"

"Well, you're… crying." He spoke softly and she gasped in surprise realizing he was right. She could taste the salty tears in her mouth… How strange! She hadn't even noticed them.

"Are you in any pain?" Ryo asked as Hitomi quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. "If it's the flu you have, you should be resting… or are you sick due to something else?"

Hitomi was about to deny his worries, but her lively son beat her to it.

"Mommy isn't sick… Van is!"

O-oh…busted!

"Takeru!" She scowled under her breath.

"Huh?... Van?" Ryo repeated, slightly confused. "I don't think I know who… Who's Van?"

She quickly opened her mouth to try to save the situation, but once again Takeru was faster.

"He's mommy's friend. He got hurt in a big, _big_ accident, but mommy fixed him up and he's a lot better now." The little boy said, clearly beaming with pride. "He's staying in mommy's bedroom… Van's a pilot, you know? He's really nice and his eyes have a funny colour and-"

"Takeru!!"

"…Oh!" Was the only thing Ryo managed to say; the red tint on his cheeks suddenly making yet another appearance.

Seeing him discover in such an embarrassing manner that he'd just been fooled by her little lie brought Hitomi to a brand new low for the evening. "…I'm really, really sorry Ryo!" She started, now embarrassed herself. "If I'd known you'd be this concerned I would have never-"

"It's ok Hitomi, honestly!" He assured her; his unbelievably handsome trademark smile suddenly framing his lips. "I'm… just glad everything's fine with _you_."

She didn't hear his last few words though. They were muffled by the sound of a heavy thunder exploding right above her front porch; the resulting sound-wave so powerful it made the windows tremble on their frames.

"Wow, that was a big one!" Ryo remarked startled as Hitomi tried to get her frightened son to let go of her jeans. Takeru didn't like thunderstorms at all; one of the few things he actually had in common with his father.

"Was it me or was that lightning just now pink?" Ryo added, confused. It was only when Hitomi turned back to face him that, oddly enough, she noticed for the first time the state he was in.

"Ryo, you're soaked!" And he sure was! His dark brown hair was plastered to his face and the blue polo shirt he wore beneath his light jacket had acquired an array of darker spots courtesy of the raindrops pouring outside.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just caught a little rain on my way here from the car, that's all." His eyes lingered for a moment on the bouquet of flowers Hitomi still held in her hands; his expression incredibly soft. "Huh…I guess I should be going then." He said, looking back at her. "I better get home before the storm gets any worse… It was…It was really nice seeing you." He added, with a look that could easily melt a brick wall. "I hope you're…_friend_ gets better!"

He already had one foot on the front porch's step when Hitomi, although a little reluctantly, stopped him. "Wait! At least let me lent you an umbrella… You'll end up catching a cold because of me."

"I know were they are. I'll take him there." Takeru immediately offered. Poor Ryo had no time to protest against it. The little boy started pulling him inside the house quite insistently by the sleeve of his jacket.

Hitomi let out a little sigh of relief as she saw both her son's and Ryo's back disappear behind the nearest doorway. Takeru would no doubt keep him busy for awhile.

In all honesty, (and as much as she felt awful admitting it) the last thing Hitomi wanted was for Ryo to hang around her house any longer with Van so close by, but she figured she'd already far exceeded her quota of deceitfulness for one night, so she ended up wielding to her good Samaritan side, even though something told her she was probably going to end up regretting it.

But she had more than enough time to worry about _that_, she was positive. Right now she was a lot more concerned with finding out what was the sudden racket coming from what appeared to be her bedroom. What was Van doing in there?!

So as soon as she assessed that the coast was clear, she carefully placed the bouquet of lilies on top of the little entrance table and practically ran to the farthest door in the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her bedroom door and peaked inside. What she saw made her frown. Van was standing right next to her bed, finishing strapping the buckle of his sword belt on his shorts; the long blade now securely strapped to his side.

"Hey, how did you find that?" Hitomi asked in a guarded voice, more than a little apprehensive of how he'd act after what he'd just witnessed in the hallway.

Her fears proved themselves unfounded however.

"Your definition of a 'safe place' is still under the bed?" He remarked mockingly and then shook his head in disapproval. "You haven't changed one bit, Hitomi Kanzaki."

His words stunned her. Or maybe it was more his unexpected light mood that caused her amazement. Why was he acting so cool and collected when he'd just seen her standing beside another man? Whom, by the way, he most likely thought was the one responsible for destroying their relationship? Didn't he say he'd be upset?... Well, why wasn't he?... And more importantly, why was _she_ upset all of a sudden?

Of course only her subconscious was busy with such confusing musings. At the surface, she was a lot more preoccupied with coming up with some witty retort to his mock remark. Thankfully for her, Nature lend her a hand. The deafening sound of yet another powerful thunder echoed through the air making Van cringe a lot more than what be considered reasonable.

Sporting a wide grin, she leaned against the closed door and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"It appears you haven't changed either, Van Fanel!"

He grimaced at her words, clearly not enjoying her amusement at his expense, when another thunder, this one even louder than its precedent, blew up in the sky, causing him to cower involuntarily yet again.

This time though Hitomi didn't resume her witty remarks. She'd just spotted a very familiar chain hanging from his neck.

"The pendant!" She exclaimed and for a second there she could have sworn she saw Van grin triumphantly. "When…? How…?" Was the only thing she came up with. One fleeting glance across her bedroom however, was all it took for her to take notice of the havoc it was in.

Every piece of furniture in the room had its drawer's wide open and its contents searched through, including the smallest drawer in her vanity; the one where she had hidden the pink stone.

Hitomi felt like cursing her stupidity! Of course he'd turn her bedroom upside down looking for the damn pendant! He'd probably just assumed that if she'd been dumb enough to stash his sword so conspicuously, the pendant couldn't be that hard to find too. "Stupid, stupid Hitomi!" She muttered to herself.

And she figured he would gladly tell her that himself if he wasn't already pretty much occupied with fumbling with the lock on the window.

"What are you doing?" She asked, frowning again.

"Trying to open the window… What does it look like I'm doing?"

"_Why_?"

"So I can leave!"

Hitomi huffed. Talk about a stubborn, pigheaded man! He really hadn't changed at all.

"If you want to leave because of what you just saw… It's not what you think!"

Van ignored her and continued his attack on the lock a lot more forcefully, causing the windowpanes to shake violently.

"Could you _please_ stop with the racket already?"

"What racket?! I've been quiet as a mouse this whole time."

No sooner did he finished speaking than the sound of something shattering to pieces on the ground of the adjacent room reached their ears.

Hitomi froze; an ominous feeling suddenly took over her. "_That_ racket!"

She paused to listen more intently to the unexpected turmoil in her guestroom, at the same time her brain fought hard to come up with some logical explanation for it, when the distinct murmur of human voices was heard.

Before her mind could even begin to process the new information though, she heard the adjacent room's door being carefully opened, followed by numerous heavy steps in the hallway.

As an immediate result, her heart began to beat abnormally fast. She was sure that wasn't the only way her new found panic attack was presenting itself however, because as soon as Van locked eyes with her again he also became instantly alert; his hand griping the hilt of his sword.

He was making his way quietly toward her, when someone on the other side of the door spoke up.

"I thought I heard voices nearby…" A man said in a low murmur. "Where to now, captain?"

"We'll split up in two groups and search the premises… But don't get too carried away if you find anyone. King Ulrich wants them alive!"

King Ulrich?! King Ulrich… But that could only mean those men were… How could that be possible? Hitomi only realized she had gasped when Van covered her mouth with his hand. "Egzardian soldiers…" He confirmed in a whisper. "Don't move."

"Captain…" Another voice, this time coming from the other side of the hallway, was heard as well. "There's someone on this side."

Hitomi felt like the air was being sucked out of her lungs. "Takeru!" She exclaimed, terrified. It had to be her son and Ryo the other man was referring to.

Van immediately loosened the hold he had on her trembling form; still a little apprehensive she'd collapse on the floor. But as soon as he heard the steps grow further away from their door, he griped the doorknob; a fierce determination plainly visible in his burgundy eyes as he faced Hitomi.

"Stay in here." He told her firmly. "Whatever you do, don't leave this room."

She could almost see his crazy plan written his eyes. "No!... Are you insane? They're at least three or four of them. You won't be able to fight them all off in your condition." Hitomi pleaded desperately, and yet she knew perfectly well that if she didn't let Van go out there, she'd be definitely putting her son's life in danger. Her heart was in a knot.

"I'll try to get them away from here." He continued; the same determination audible in his words. "I won't let anything bad happen to you or your family, Hitomi. I swear…"

"Van…"

"Just don't leave the room until I get them out of your house."

Hitomi felt like her heart was about to explode. She wasn't sure if she could control herself anymore. "Van," She said without thinking straight. "Takeru is-"

There was a sudden movement at the end of the hallway and Van pulled open the door just an inch so he could look outside. "It's empty." He informed, opening it wide enough so he'd be able to slide through. "Wait at least five minutes and then run to get your son and your…" How strange! He couldn't seem to bring himself to say the rest.

Van opened his mouth to add something fast, but no sound came out for awhile. Instead he stared right at her; a burning intensity in his eyes as he seemed to be committing to memory every detail of her face. "…Goodbye Hitomi." Were his last words to her. She got the feeling that wasn't exactly what he wanted to say though.

And before she herself could even retain the memory of that moment, he'd already disappeared out of the room. Hitomi couldn't quite tell how long she stood staring at that closed door. It seemed to her that time itself had stopped. Only the constant tic-tac sound of her wall clock appeared to disagree with her. How long had it been since Van had left? One minute? Two? An hour?... Outside everything was deadly quiet and that lack of life signs was driving her insane. She wasn't sure she could take much more.

Only a couple of minutes had gone by when her nerves got the best of her. She had to get to her son. And fast. Listening one last time across her bedroom door for any signs of movement, she slowly opened the door and stepped out into the dim lit corridor.

Hitomi had only taken a few cautious steps when she thought she'd heard Takeru's crying whimper echoing through the hallway. For a fraction of a second she stood perfectly still hoping against hope her mind was playing evil tricks on her, but then she distinctly heard his little voice cry out for her and her legs immediately sprung to action as she ran all the way to the living-room; where his voice had come from.

"Takeru!" She cried out as soon as she reached the doorway, but before she even had the chance to look around the room for any signs of him, a large hand caught her by the throat and slammed her hard against the nearest wall.

"Leave my mommy alone!" She heard her son say and opened her eyes just in time to see Takeru bite the leg of her captor. The bulky man immediately lifted his free hand to slap him. "Why you little brat…"

"No!" Hitomi yelled. But she wasn't the only one. Her plea was joined by a stern command coming from the other side of the room. "Don't touch them." Someone added.

Her captor immediately released her from his deadly grip, albeit cursing in pain. Taking hold of the opportunity, Hitomi quickly took Takeru in her arms and backed away from him until her back hit another wall.

She frightfully looked to where the commanding voice had come from and suppressed the urge to scream.

Three large men dressed in heavy armour stood above the body of an unconscious man; Ryo was lying on his back on the floor, eyelids closed; a small trickle of blood oozing out of his mouth.

The tallest of the man from the trio took several steps forward, eyeing Hitomi in a satisfied manner. "Nice of you to join us, lady." He said with mock politeness. Hitomi immediately recognized his voice as the 'captain's', she'd heard before in the hallway. "We've been most eagerly waiting for you." He added with a smirk.

"F-For me?" She asked apprehensively. "W-What do you want?" She hopelessly wondered where Van was at that moment. Had they gotten to him already? Was he lying on the floor unconscious, just like Ryo was, somewhere in her house? The thought of it made her knees tremble with fear.

Her distress was probably pretty obvious to the others, because the blue-haired captain suddenly stopped approaching her; his voice acquiring a more serene tone. "Relax, young lady! We just want to have a little chat with you, that's all." It wouldn't take a lie detector to prove the deceitfulness of his words. His speech reeked of knavery.

Propped by a fresh new wave of anxiety and fear, Hitomi slowly started to make her way toward the nearest exit door, when the soldier closest to her, still complaining over his leg, marched in her direction, clearly intent on ignoring his superior's order.

She was about to scream when a loud, angry voice froze everyone inside the room. "Get away from her!"

To Hitomi it was like a wave of hope had flooded the room all of a sudden; calming her nerves; bringing relief to her awful situation. His voice, although stern and authoritative, to her sounded like the most crystalline of angel voices. She couldn't help but smile in relief as she turned to watch Van enter the room, sword in hand.

He wasn't alone however. With the blade dangerously close to his neck, a lanky Egzardian soldier trembled against the strong hold Van had him in. "I-I'm terribly sorry, captain." He stammered nervously. "He caught us by surprise."

"You idiot!" Was his superior's remark. "Where are the others?" He asked, nonetheless eyeing their unexpected guest with interest.

"Dead." Van answered flatly. "Which is what you'll be as well, if you don't go back to where you came from." He threatened.

The tall captain grinned mischievously. He liked the nerve of the young man. He had quite some guts… and skill as well, if it was true that he had indeed just finished off some of his best soldiers. He was about to inquire about his identity, when one of his comrades suddenly gasped behind him.

"By the gods! That's Fanelia's king!" His subordinate exclaimed.

The captain stared baffled from the soldier to the dark-haired man in front of him. Fanelia's king?! Only when he eyed Van more closely did he recognize the royal seal on his sword. "Well, well, what a surprise!... It is an honour to meet you at last, your highness!" He said, bowing exaggeratedly.

"Cut the act already." Van retorted, matter-of-factly. "It's me you want. Let these people go. They have nothing to do with this."

The Egzardian captain let out a despicable laugh. "Ah, but they do! You see, your highness, it is not you we're after… although you _will_ be a very much appreciated bonus to our mission." He stated. "But no, we're actually after those two." He pointed to where Hitomi and Takeru stood frightened, causing the little boy to hold tighter to his mother.

The panicked look Van saw in Hitomi's eyes caused his anger to boil further. He griped his sword tighter against his hostage's neck; a thin line of blood already tinting its blade. The poor man in front of him could only tremble in terror. "Don't you dare lay a hand on them!" Van forewarned.

"Oh, please! Go ahead and kill that idiot. You'd be doing my battalion a favour." The tall man grinned, despite the silent whines of the captive soldier. "As for the seeress and her child, you need not to worry. We have explicit orders from King Ulrich not to harm them… for now at least. But as for _you_, your highness,… I don't think our king will mind too much if we just take back with us your _head_." He said, pulling his sword out.

His gesture was quickly followed by that of his comrades and soon they where sauntering toward Van like predators ambushing prey. The whining of the soldier in Van's hands got louder.

Hitomi couldn't move. She couldn't think properly either. With no where to escape to, and holding her increasingly terrified son, she was left staring as the soldiers in front of her circled Van, leaving him no room to escape himself.

Knowing he had no way out of the situation but to enter in such an unfair fight, Van kicked the whimpering soldier on the head with the back of his sword, letting him fall unconscious at his feet and then quickly turned his blade to the grinning captain's. "He's mine." The blue-haired man warned.

"But captain-"

"I said he's _mine_!... He's my _kill_."

And so it began.

In the eerie silence of the room, nothing could be heard but the clashing of metal against metal. The two opponents circled each other in a deadly dance; their steps cautious and light. The attacks themselves were swift and cunning; the blocks too. Several minutes had gone by already and neither Van nor the Egzardian captain could be declared to have the upper hand on the fight.

And although Hitomi knew very well Van's former injuries were no doubt causing him a great deal of pain, to the untrained eye the young king seemed to be completely unperturbed and focused on his opponent alone.

One more attack from the Egzardian captain; one more successful block from Van. The fight seemed to have no end in sight, when suddenly the taller man thrust his sword with all his might toward Van's chest, causing the latter to drop down, roll on the floor and quickly swing his blade bellow his adversary's knees.

As a result, the captain fell to the floor with a heavy thud, shouting in pain; his subordinate's shocked and surprised. Taking advantage of their reaction, Van quickly knocked out the soldier who stood closest to him with his fist, turning his sword immediately to face the two remaining ones.

He was panting heavily as he spoke to them. "If you don't want me to give you the same treatment I just gave your friends here, I suggest you gather the ones who are still breathing and go back to your traitorous king." He hissed.

The two soldiers didn't seem to know what to do. It was clear on their faces that none of them felt too incline to battle with him, that was certain.

Hitomi felt her nerves slowly begin to subside. For the first time she genuinely felt they could actually make it out safe and sound of that predicament. She was so strangely relieved that she only noticed the bloodied Egzardian captain's action a little too late.

Behind Van's back and gritting his teeth in pain, he took out a small sharp dagger from his combat boot and swung it his opponent's way just before falling unconscious from loss of blood.

Hitomi didn't know who screamed first - her or her son. Only that the screaming filled the room and her mind until she could hear nothing else… until she felt a strange unexplainable warmth around her and saw a blinding light in front of her eyes.


End file.
